E-commerce website Etsy has removed merchandise on the platform that references the coronavirus, Buzzfeed News reports., external

Some of the items removed include shirts with taglines like "I survived coronavirus 2020" and "I don't have coronavirus, I'm just drunk".

An Etsy spokesperson said the site had also prioritised taking down any listings that "claim to protect against coronavirus", adding that "we have also taken down hundreds of items that attempt to exploit the developing coronavirus situation".

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UK health officials have moved into the second phase of their response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical adviser to the government, told MPs it was "highly likely" there was now some "community transmission" within the UK.

Measures will be ramped up to slow the spread of the virus and could involve "changes to society", he said.

Three new cases of the virus in Scotland have brought the total number of positive tests in the UK to 90.

Prof Whitty also said that for a high-risk older person, catching the virus would not make them "a goner", adding the "great majority" of people - even those in their 80s - will recover.

He warned smoking was "an additional vulnerability" for healthy people, and said now would be a "very good moment" for people to quit.

You can read the full story here.

Photographs of empty supermarket shelves have been doing the rounds in the UK, amid fears of panic-buying because of coronavirus.

Large packs of water, pasta, bread and hand sanitiser gels have been pictured missing from shop shelves.

Image source, JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Image source, Claire Doherty/SIPA USA/PA Images

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

Understanding how the coronavirus is mutating is vital.

A team of Chinese scientists have effectively played a complex game of “genetic spot the difference” with 103 coronavirus samples.

Their findings suggest there are two distinct “strains” of the virus, but what this means is speculation.

The researchers have found differences in the genetic code of the two strains, but they do not show this alters the behaviour of the virus.

They do not prove one is “more aggressive” than the other, as has been reported.

That will require further experiments and the researchers themselves say the amount of data they have to work with is “still very limited”.

Italy is embarking on the first day of its shutdown of all schools and universities after emergency measures were implemented due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Cinemas, theatres and museums are also closed across the country while its Serie A football league will be played in empty stadiums.

More than 3,000 people have been infected, making it the worst-hit country on the continent.

Schools and universities will be shuttered until at least 15 March, according to Education Minister Lucia Azzolina.

Reactions to the school closures have been mixed.

“I hoped for this decree because I feared an outbreak at school,” Massimiliano Del Ninno, father of a Rome primary school student, told Reuters news agency.

Clarissa Mazzei, a 30-year-old mother of three, called it “tragic... for the students, and also for the parents.”

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Two of Crufts' major sponsors have asked their staff not to attend the UK's most prestigious dog show amid fears over coronavirus.

Royal Canin UK and James Wellbeloved said their representatives should stay away from large events like Crufts "unless it is business critical".

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) has also decided not to go.

Crufts organisers the Kennel Club said the event in Birmingham will go ahead, with "enhanced measures" to protect people.

The show starts on Thursday and will take place over four days until Sunday.

You can read more here.

Iran is to close schools and universities until the end of the Iranian calendar year on 20 March because of coronavirus, Reuters news agency reports, quoting the country's health minister.

Tulip Mazumdar
Global Health Correspondent

The World Health Organization is warning that criminals are disguising themselves as WHO officials to steal money or sensitive information.

The UN agency which is leading the global response to the outbreak says: "If you are contacted by a person or organisation that appears to be from WHO, verify their authenticity before responding."

It goes on to say that the WHO will never:

• ask you to login to view safety information
• email attachments you didn’t ask for
• ask you to visit a link outside of www.who.int, external
• charge money to apply for a job, register for a conference or reserve a hotel

You can find out more and report possible scammers here, external.

BBC Sport

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England's Six Nations games against Italy in Rome on 14 and 15 March are expected to be postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The men's and women's contests were initially set to take place behind closed doors in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Italy is the worst-hit European country with more than 3,000 cases.

Ireland's Six Nations games at home to Italy on 7 and 8 March were postponed last week.

You can read more here.

A truck transporting toilet paper in Australia has caught fire.

It comes as Australians have been stockpiling toilet paper amid coronavirus fears. Read more here.

Paul Kirby
BBC News online Europe editor

At least for a while, the etiquette of the Italian baci and French bises will get put on hold.

Whether you kiss on the cheeks twice, three times or four, it's a cultural norm that will have to stop under health advice in both countries.

French websites have been full of alternative greetings, and etiquette expert Philippe Lichtfus says greeting someone by looking them in the eyes isn't rude, it just makes more sense and could even come across as more sincere. But for radio comic Tanguy Pastureau, France without kisses isn't really France any more.

The government in Rome has urged Italians to keep one metre apart and stop kisses and hugs and Italian journalist Angela Mauro is appalled. "Coronavirus doesn't allow you to stay human," she complains.

Image source, EPA

The UK government’s chief medical adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, is giving evidence to MPs on the UK's plans for tackling Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

Switzerland has reported its first coronavirus death - a 74-year-old woman who died in hospital in Lausanne.

The woman, who had been ill since 3 March, is reported to have suffered from an underlying health condition.

It comes as the Swiss government is considering putting out further restrictions to encourage social distancing - school closures have not been ruled out, though the health minister said it is not clear how beneficial this would be, since children appear to be at least risk of getting the virus.

"Will I get sick?"

"Will my school close?"

If your children have asked you any of these questions, here's some advice on how you can keep them up to date, without terrifying them:

• Talk to them about things they can control, such as disposing of tissues and personal hygiene, rather than those they can't
• Give information about the virus, but once the explanation is over, the conversation should move on to something that "isn't threatening"
• Use simple language and allow them to ask lots of questions

More advice on speaking to your kids here.

Image source, Getty Images

Kathy Andrews
BBC News, Glasgow

Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood has confirmed three more virus cases in Scotland - bringing the total number of cases to six.

The patients, who are from the Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Grampian areas, are currently clinically well and receiving care.

This brings the total number of UK cases of the virus to 90.

UK experts have advised people not to panic about their pets after reports that a dog in Hong Kong repeatedly tested positive for coronavirus.

Prof Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: “We have to differentiate between real infection and just detecting the presence of the virus.

“I still think it’s questionable how relevant it is to the human outbreak as most of the global outbreak has been driven by human-to-human transmission.

“We need to find out more, but we don’t need to panic – I doubt it could spread to another dog or a human because of the low levels of the virus. The real driver of the outbreak is humans.”

During the Sars outbreak in 2003, a small number of cats and dogs tested positive for the virus. These animals did not transmit the virus to other animals of the same species or to humans.

Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association, said: “We are particularly keen not to cause any unnecessary concern that could lead to pet abandonment.

“We would emphasise that at the moment, there remains no evidence that pet animals can be a source of infection of Covid-19 for humans or other animals, or that they become sick. The main source of infection remains human-to-human transmission.”

Image source, Reuters

The two new patients are a man who recently travelled to Italy and his child.

The middle-aged man had worked in Italy and returned to Bosnia in late February, said news agency AFP quoting the health minister of Bosnia's Serb-run half.

The man's wife has tested negative for the virus, Reuters news agency reports. Health authorities will test school children who have come into contact with the infected child, the minister said.

The man is said to be in "good" condition and is currently held in isolation.

The United Arab Emirates has told citizens and foreign residents to “avoid travel” anywhere abroad because of the coronavirus outbreak.

"In case of travel, preventive measures will be taken upon arrival back [to the UAE], at the discretion of the specialised authorities, [such as] medical tests at the airport followed by self-isolation at home," the health ministry said.

Those who test positive for the virus will be quarantined at a health facility.

The UAE is a major hub for international air travel. It is the home of two airlines - Emirates and Etihad - and Dubai’s airport is one of the world’s busiest.

The country, which has reported at least 27 Covid-19 cases, is also closing schools and other educational institutions for four weeks from 8 March.

Image source, EPA

Bosnia has confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus, Reuters news agency reports, quoting the country's regional health minister.

No other details were available immediately.