Summary

  • The death toll in Italy jumps to 463 as much of the country's north starts the week under quarantine

  • Trading in US shares is briefly suspended after sharp falls over an oil row and ongoing coronavirus fears

  • Six people die during a prison riot over visitor restrictions in the north Italian city of Modena

  • Israel is to ask everyone arriving in the country to self-quarantine for 14 days

  • Germany confirms its first two deaths from coronavirus, both in North Rhine-Westphalia

  • It is now accepted the virus will spread in a "significant way" in the UK, a spokesman for the PM says

  • China has 40 new cases of Covid-19, the lowest since January when reporting began

  • Foreign diplomats finally allowed to leave Pyongyang after long quarantine

  1. Portugal's president in self-isolationpublished at 10:33 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Marcelo Rebelo de SousaImage source, Getty Images

    Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has suspended his official engagements for two weeks on medical grounds, as a precaution against coronavirus.

    The decision was taken after a group of school children visited the presidential palace on Tuesday. A child from that school, who was not on the trip, was later taken to hospital. The statement on the president's official website did not confirm whether the child had tested positive for coronavirus.

    The school in northern Portugal has been closed.

    The president has no symptoms but has upcoming meetings where he would be in contact with a lot of people.

  2. Six dead in Italy prison riotspublished at 10:21 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020
    Breaking

    Six people have died during prison riots in Italy in protest at restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus, Italian media report.

    Officials say prisoners set fire to a cell block in the northern city of Modena after they were told that visits would be suspended. It's thought that at least two of the dead were killed by drug overdoses.

  3. Disneyland Paris staff member tests positivepublished at 10:13 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Disneyland Paris theme parkImage source, Getty Images

    A maintenance staff member at Disneyland Paris has tested positive for coronavirus.

    The staff member tested positive over the weekend, a spokesman confirmed to Reuters news agency.

    Disneyland Paris said it is checking on staff who had been in contact with the person.

    The resort remains open.

  4. K-pop concerts called off in Japanpublished at 10:08 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    A number of K-pop concerts in Japan have been cancelled due to the country's travel restrictions on people arriving from South Korea.

    Under Japan's new rules, any travellers from South Korea must go into quarantine for two weeks.

    Popular boy band Super Junior has cancelled its shows at the Saitama Super Arena from 25-26 March.

    KCON, a major K-pop and Korean culture festival has had its Japanese leg cancelled. It was due to take place from 3-5 April.

    Japan is one of the largest markets for Korean pop music.

    Super JuniorImage source, Getty Images
  5. UK hospital staff member tests positivepublished at 09:48 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    A healthcare professional at University Hospital Southampton, UK has tested positive for coronavirus. They are now in isolation at home.

    The staff member worked a single nightshift in the surgical high dependency unit on 6 March.

    Patients and staff who came into contact with the staff member have been informed and will be isolated, the hospital said.

    The high dependency unit has been closed to new admissions.

    The hospital said all other services are operating normally.

  6. Oil prices down more than 20%published at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Shares in London have plummeted in early trading with the FTSE index of shares plunging 8% to its lowest level in three years.

    The decline compounds fears over the effect of coronavirus on the economy.

    Oil prices are down more than 20% with Brent crude trading at $35.98 a barrel.

    It comes as the International Energy Agency announced coronavirus is set to cause the first annual decline in oil use since 2009.

    Read more here.

  7. Suspected coronavirus patient escapes India hospitalpublished at 09:30 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Indian police are searching for a man with suspected coronavirus who escaped from a hospital in the southern city of Mangalore.

    The man was hospitalised soon after he arrived in India from Dubai on Sunday.

    Officials told the BBC that he had been rushed to hospital from the airport after displaying symptoms of fever.

    However, he had gone missing from the hospital on Monday morning.

    "Our surveillance team has gone to his residence along with the police to bring him back to the hospital, ‘’ a health department official told BBC Hindi.

    A report in the local Hindustan Times newspaper said his "escape" came hours after his family members entered the hospital, demanding that he be released. However, officials had refused saying that he needed to be kept under observation.

  8. Too big to control?published at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    The BBC's Mark Lowen reports from outside northern Italy's exclusion zone

    We drove yesterday up to the edge of the exclusion zone. We were expecting to see roadblocks or controls in place and we didn’t see anything at all. Cars were going in both directions. It seemed as though the control of this restricted zone is quite loose, and that is a bit difficult to understand. Is this simply too big an area to control and close off in the heart of Europe in this way or are the restrictions gradually coming into place?

    We heard last night from the Interior Ministry about how the zone will operate, for example only those with a serious reason that cannot be postponed, work or family issues will be allowed in or out, passengers departing on flights will have to justify themselves, there’ll be controls at train stations for temperatures and cruise ships will be forbidden to dock in Venice. For the moment we can’t see those restrictions in place.

    We’ve seen pictures from inside the restricted cities, and the streets are very deserted, but we’re not seeing police checkpoints as such. But perhaps this is going to be stepped up in the coming days because there are even penalties of three months in prison or a fine of €206 for breaking the rules.

    The real fear is that, in the hours between the quarantine being announced and it coming into effect, people have gone from more infected areas in the north down south. There are healthcare facilities in southern Italy that are far less developed than those here in the north that are going to seriously struggle.

  9. Uganda returns travellers refusing to self-quarantinepublished at 09:04 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    BBC Africa

    Uganda has told 22 foreigners who refused to self-quarantine on arrival for a business forum to return to their home countries.

    Uganda's Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the 22 travellers had arrived from "category one" countries deemed high-risk in the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

    The ministry has categorised Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, China, Germany and Spain as countries whose citizens have to undergo self-quarantine for 14 days even if they do not have coronavirus symptoms.

    The 22 travellers were informed of the self-quarantine requirement on their arrival at Entebbe International Airport.

    They refused to observe the rule and instead opted to return home.

    Uganda is hosting a two-day business forum that is being attended by delegates from Europe.

  10. Which areas in Italy are affected by the lockdown?published at 08:50 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Up to 16 million people in Lombardy and 14 provinces will be affected by the new lockdown:

    Graphic
  11. A quick glance at your headlinespublished at 08:47 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    If you're just joining us now, welcome. Here's a round-up of all the things you need to know to bring you up to speed:

    • UK PM Boris Johnson will hold an emergency Cobra meeting today - and it's possible that "social distancing" measures could be introduced
    • China has just 40 new cases of Covid-19, the lowest since 20 January
    • South Korean officials have today reported 69 cases, the lowest daily increase in two weeks
    • The outbreak however, shows no signs of stopping in Europe. In Italy, the number of cases have jumped to 7,375 as an exclusion zone in the north of the country comes into force. There are 1,112 cases now in Germany
    • A cruise ship that was barred by Malaysia and Thailand over coronavirus fears will be allowed to dock in Singapore
  12. Should I use a face mask?published at 08:37 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    And other questions you might have around the virus, answered here.

    People wear medical masks as a precaution against coronavirus in central London,Image source, Getty Images
  13. Romanian football to be played without spectatorspublished at 08:15 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    All Romanian league matches will be played without spectators, Reuters reports quoting the Romanian Football Federation (FRF).

    The FRF also said it had suspended ticket sales for a qualifier game between Romania and Denmark on 31 March.

    Romania confirmed its first case of coronavirus last month and dozens of cases have been reported since.

    Arena Nationala, in Bucharest, Romania,Image source, Getty Images
  14. German cases jump to 1,112published at 08:07 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    There are now 1,112 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany, according to government disease prevention and control agency the Robert Koch Insitute.

    As of Sunday, 847 people in Germany had tested positive.

  15. 'Did you just cough at me?'published at 07:56 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Rising tensions on a train in Sydney...

    Media caption,

    Sydney woman's train cough sparks viral passive-aggressive row

  16. The easiest things you can do to protect yourself:published at 07:42 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    graphic
  17. UK supermarket Tesco starts rationing productspublished at 07:38 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    The UK's largest supermarket chain Tesco has begun restricting sales of essential food and household items as a result of panic-buying.

    Shoppers are now limited to buying no more than five of certain goods, including

    • Antibacterial gels
    • Wipes and sprays
    • Dry pasta
    • UHT milk
    • Some tinned vegetables

    These rules apply both in stores and online. Here are some other stores that have also begin limiting products.

    View of a composition of hand sanitizers and wipes, London on March 8, 2020.Image source, Getty Images
  18. Japan Airlines attendant tests positive for viruspublished at 07:34 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    A Japan Airlines (JAL) cabin attendant has tested positive for coronavirus, said a Reuters report quoting the airline.

    It's not clear what flights she might have been on. JAL is Japan's national flagship carrier.

    Japan AirlinesImage source, Getty Images
  19. Japan announces 15th deathpublished at 07:19 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    One person in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture, which borders Tokyo, has died from the coronavirus, said Nippon TV.

    Fifteen people have died in Japan - including seven who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

  20. Fake French police officers prey on Chinese studentspublished at 07:10 Greenwich Mean Time 9 March 2020

    Chinese students in France have been targeted by fake police officers who said wearing a mask was against French law.

    According to local news site BFM TV, the students were told to pay 150 Euros to "police officers" who cited a French law that bans full-face coverings.

    The news site quoted the Chinese embassy as saying that wearing a mask was "absolutely not illegal".

    Coronavirus In ParisImage source, Getty Images