Summary

  • Tens of millions of Europeans are living under lockdown

  • Italy reports a rise in its death toll to more than 1,800

  • France, Iran and Spain also see a spike in deaths

  • Germany is to restrict border entries from France, Switzerland and Austria

  • Austria bans gatherings of more than five people, and orders schools and shops to shut

  • South Africa bars some foreigners from entering and will close schools

  • UK over-70s are to be asked to self-isolate for an extended period

  • Voters go to the polls for local elections in France despite widespread restrictions

Live Reporting

Joshua Cheetham, Thom Poole, Alexandra Fouché and Ashitha Nagesh

  1. Dubai-bound passengers taken off plane in Kerala

    Ashraf Padanna
    BBC News, Trivandrum

    All passengers on a Dubai-bound flight at Cochin airport in the southern Indian state of Kerala have been asked to leave the plane after one of them tested positive for Covid-19. Passengers have been quarantined.

    The passenger, said to be British-born, was on the Emirates flight bound for Dubai on Sunday morning.

    “He was part of a group of 19 who... were holidaying in [the town of] Munnar,” an airport official told the BBC.

    “He was in quarantine and tested positive for the virus. We recognised this only after he boarded the plane which was about to depart.

    “There were 270 passengers on the flight that he boarded. The group came to the airport without informing the authorities,” he added.

    With a large population of its workers in the Gulf countries, Kerala has the highest number of infections of all Indian states, though no deaths have been reported so far.

    Some 23 people have tested positive for the virus in the state, while 7,677 people are under observation and 302 are quarantined in hospitals with symptoms.

  2. Voting under way in France

    A voter wearing a protective mask casts her ballot at a polling station in Toulouse, southern France, on 15 March 2020AFP

    Turnout is expected be low in the elections

    Polls have opened in France in local elections that are going ahead despite widespread restrictions imposed to fight the pandemic.

    On Saturday, the government ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, cinemas and many shops, and some politicians called for a postponement of the election.

    Special precautions have been introduced at polling stations, but officials say they expect turnout to be low.

  3. Why we touch our faces and how to stop it

    Several medical officials across the world have warned people to avoid touching their face as a key way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

    But why do we touch our faces in the first place? And is it that easy to just stop doing it all of a sudden?

    We spoke to psychologist Natasha Tiwari.

    Coronavirus: Why we touch our faces and how to stop it

  4. Chaos hits US airports

    Angry passengers have been sharing images and videos of packed airports in the US, as people returning from Europe queued for medical screening.

    Some speculated that the chaos could be a perfect breeding ground for coronavirus.

    Read more here.

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

  5. Welcome to today's coverage

    Welcome back to the BBC's live coverage of the global coronavirus outbreak. Here are some of the latest developments:

    • New screening requirements for Americans returning from Europe lead to long queues
    • Australia orders 14-day quarantine for all new arrivals starting at midnight on Sunday (13:00 GMT)
    • Voters go to the polls for local elections in France despite widespread coronavirus restrictions. On Saturday, the French government ordered the closure of bars, restaurants and many shops
    • The Vatican says its traditional Easter week celebrations will be held this year without worshippers
    • The opening of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's trial is delayed until 24 May because of the crisis