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The outbreak is leading to unprecedented levels of mental health problems and anxiety in Hong Kong, according to news agency Reuters.

The territory has around 100 confirmed virus cases and two deaths - but with the memory of the Sars outbreak, which killed nearly 300 people there in 2003, Hongkongers are extremely worried.

A University of Hong Kong survey suggests that one-third of adults in Hong Kong are reporting symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), while 11% reported depression.

Tens of thousands of residents in the territory are currently working from home, while the stockpiling of basic food and cleaning products has become common.

Face masks and hand sanitisers have long been unavailable.

China reported 125 new virus cases on Tuesday - the lowest number of new daily infections in six weeks.

There were also 31 more deaths - all in Hubei province, where the virus emerged.

Some 2,943 people with Covid-19 have now died in China.

Australia's central bank has cut interest rates to record lows - in what is expected to be the first in a spate of stimulus measures around the world to fight the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe said: "At its meeting today, the board decided to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.50 per cent.

"The board took this decision to support the economy as it responds to the global coronavirus outbreak."

Finance ministers of the Group of 7 advanced economies and their central bank governors will hold a conference call later on Tuesday to discuss the virus and its mounting economic toll.

China's Guangdong province will ask people arriving from countries and regions with coronavirus outbreaks to quarantine themselves for 14 days, state media reported on Tuesday.

The report did not list which countries the province was targeting.

When the new coronavirus spread within China, many countries blocked Chinese citizens from entering - now China is imposing its own restrictions.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (third from the right) and his ministers wear face masks to attend a cabinet meeting in Seoul on Tuesday.

The yellow jackets symbolise the government's response to emergency situations.

Image source, Yonhap / AFP

The United Nations has cut the length of its annual women's conference from 12 days to one.

The 64th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women was scheduled to open in New York on 9 March, the day after international women's day, and run until 20 March.

Some 12,000 delegates were due to attend.

Image source, Reuters

The US basketball league NBA has told players to no stop high-fiving fans due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to AFP.

Instead, players should bump firsts. They should also be careful taking pens from fans for autographs.

"The health and safety of NBA players, coaches, staff, and fans is paramount," the NBA and NBA Players Association said in a memo given to players.

Some players had already addressed their worries - Portland Trail Blazers star C.J. McCollum said he was no longer signing autographs.

"Make sure y'all washing y'all hands with soap for 20 or more seconds & covering ya mouths when you cough," he said on Twitter. "I am officially taking a break from signing autographs until further notice."

Australian authorities have also reiterated that the threat to children remains low. Only one child has been infected in the nation and it was a mild case.

“The evidence around the world is that when children are infected, they are incredibly mild, in fact so mild that they almost don't have symptoms,” says chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy.

Another new case was reported in the Queensland, Australia on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases in the nation to 34.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 21 infected patients had fully recovered, while one person has died. Perth man James Kwan, 71, was a passenger on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Until recently, Australia had experienced a plateau in the number of cases. The nation was quick off the blocks to enact a quarantine on citizens evacuated from China and the cruise ship, and was also among the first to enact a travel ban against travellers from China.

However, the nation’s first cases of person-to-person transmission – one between a doctor and patient, and another between relatives – were reported on Monday, sparking alarm.

“As we have also said, Australia is not immune, as we have learned,” Mr Morrison told reporters on Tuesday.

“But we are well prepared, as well-prepared as any country can be.”

Hong Kong has hired four charter flights to bring back 533 of its people from the mainland Chinese city of Wuhan, where the new coronavirus emerged late last year.

The flights will return on Wednesday and Thursday and the passengers will be quarantined for 14 days.

South Korea's Red Cross has posted an emotional plea for support on Twitter.

In a nutshell, the post says "after a few days of fighting, I sat down for a while... please support the hard work of all Korean medical staff, including the Red Cross!"

The country's health workers have for weeks been struggling to deal with the surge in virus patients.

The firm has made it mandatory for staff in Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to work from home.

Some experts think the virus could infect between 40 and 70% of the world's population, much like the flu.Earlier today Stephen Morse, a US epidemiologist with Columbia University, spoke to BBC World News' Mariko Oi about the possibility of this happening.

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In case you missed it, global stock markets have been very choppy recently.

Last week saw the biggest weekly fall in the world's major stock markets since the 2008 crisis. As the coronavirus spreads across the globe, investors are running for cover.

After that carnage, central banks decided to step in to support markets with promises of extra liquidity and other measures.

The US Federal Reserve Bank led the charge followed by the Bank of Japan. Others central banks, including the Bank of England, have also said they will act if needed.

This has given the markets a boost in confidence and they have been surging this week. Yesterday the Dow Jones index in the US rocketed 5.1%. And in Asia today, markets are broadly up in early trading.

In South Korea much of the attention has focused on Shincheonji Church, a religious organisation that's been linked to the majority of the country's coronavirus cases. Yesterday the leader of the group, Lee Man-hee, held a rare news conference where he knelt on the ground and bowed in apology to the public.

The group has been accused of secretive practices that have hindered authorities in stemming the outbreak.

Mr Lee and Shincheonji are facing legal charges and an investigation into whether they violated the country's infectious diseases act.

Pakistan has reported a new coronavirus case, taking the total to five since the first cases were confirmed last week.

A Singaporean student in London says he was beaten up in an attack linked to the coronavirus late last month.

"To those people who told me that London isn’t racist, think again," Jonathan Mok writes in a lengthy Facebook post.

He says a group of young men in London assaulted him, while saying they "didn't want your coronavirus in my country".

He says the attack left him with fractures on his face, and that he might need reconstructive surgery.

"Racism is not stupidity," the student's post says.

"Racism is hate. Racists constantly find excuses to expound their hatred - and in this current backdrop of the coronavirus, they’ve found yet another excuse."

South Korea on Tuesday announced 477 more cases and now has a total of 4,812 confirmed infections. That's that highest number of infections outside of China. So far, 29 people have died.

President Moon Jae-in said the country had begun a "war" against the virus, with all government agencies on a 24-hour alert.

He announced the country would put 30 trillion won ($25.2bn, £19.7bn) of funds into the virus response.

As concerns spread, many people continue to stock up on essential household items.

The BBC spoke to some Australians who say they are slowly building up supplies, after seeing supermarket shelves thinning out in recent days.

Authorities insist, however, that there is no need to panic-buy.

Australia is preparing to use strict biosecurity laws to force people suspected of carrying the coronavirus into hospital or into quarantine.

That means people at risk of spreading the virus could be detained under biosecurity laws passed in 2015 that give authorities the power to hold and decontaminate people with the Covid-19 virus.

Australia has more than 30 verified cases but officials believe a mass outbreak is still avoidable.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday