On the continent now at the centre of the pandemic, Spain dominates the news with another big rise in cases: 833 people have now died there and 18,077 have been infected, while 1,107 have recovered. The capital Madrid accounts for almost 500 of the dead.

The country has ordered the closure of all hotels and tourist accommodation by 26 March. No new visitors will be allowed the state of alert is cancelled. Spain is second only to France in the top worldwide tourist destinations.

Elsewhere:

• Germany saw another 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the number to 31. Health official Lothar Wieler says a rise in infections of almost 3,000 marks "exponential growth"; the army has been mobilised and hundreds of reservist medics have been contacted
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU will do everything in its power to protect the economy and that includes relaxing debt rules: "Everything that helps in this crisis will be used"
• France is among many European countries trying to bring home their nationals from abroad; the foreign ministry in Paris has put the number at 130,000
• Swedish-Chinese carmaker Volvo is halting production in Sweden, Belgium and the US
• Italy has seen 3,405 deaths so far, the biggest number recorded officially since the pandemic began in Wuhan, China. Leaders in the worst-hit region of Lombardy have appealed for the army to be brought in and for almost everything to be shut down, including local public transport, to halt the spread

Until a few weeks ago in the UK, self-isolating yourself and distancing yourself from other people were seen as unusual, even a sign of being unwell. Now, they've become essential measures to stem the spread of the virus.

The two are not quite the same. Social distancing involves cutting down on non-essential travel and interactions, staying home if you're unwell, and not visiting social venues.

Meanwhile self-isolation means you basically have to cut yourself off entirely from the outside world – here’s how you do it.

Travellers face disruption as operators continue to cut their services because of falling demand.

This comes after the government asked people to work from home and avoid public places.

Among services affected:

• Train companies Northern, TransPennine Express and South Western Railway are already running reduced timetables
• Other train operators, including Great Western Railway, will reduce services from Monday - although they will still run core services to ensure key workers can get to their jobs
• Transport for London have closed 40 Underground stations until further notice, while bus services will be reduced
• Buses in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester are cutting services

Australia’s ban for all non-residents to enter the country has just come into effect (10:00 GMT).

The historic measure does not affect citizens, permanent residents or their families.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the nation that “things need to change” to halt the spread of coronavirus after more than 600 confirmed cases, with six deaths.

Travel plans have already been upended for many people, and families are likely to be split. There is uncertainty for about two million temporary visa holders currently in Australia.

Here’s our explainer if you’re in that situation.

A senator from President Donald Trump’s Republican party is facing calls to resign over allegations he used insider knowledge to sell off shares before their prices tumbled over coronavirus fears.

Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr and his wife sold up to $1.7m (£1.4m) in stock in February shortly before the global market downturn.

Senate documents show the North Carolina Republican and his wife made 33 transactions, US media report. This is despite an article by Sen Burr shortly before the sell-off that said the US government was “taking steps to protect you” in the face of the outbreak.

Conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson has said Sen Burr must resign. The senator denies any impropriety.

Image source, EPA

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has praised doctors and nurses for their courage in fighting coronavirus which has killed 1,284 people and infected 18,407, in the world's third-worst outbreak.

In a televised address to mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year which falls on Friday, he said: "Our nation has managed to reach its goals, despite difficulties... Iran will overcome the coronavirus with unity."

Some of Iran's busiest religious shrines have been closed. Shia pilgrims visiting the religious sites from across the Muslim world have inadvertently spread the virus to surrounding countries.

• Read more: Nowruz festival overshadowed by outbreak

We've been getting a lot of questions from Asia to our User Generated Content team about travel to and from the UK.

Here is the latest advice from the UK Foreign Office broken down:

British nationals are advised against all but essential international travel. Any country or area may restrict travel without notice.

If you are currently abroad:

• Check the travel advice , externalfor your location regularly and sign up to email alerts
• If you wish to leave the country you are in, contact your airline or travel company and your insurance provider as soon as you are able, and keep up to date with the latest developments. International travel may become more difficult. Assisted departure is only organised in exceptional circumstances

There's lots of information available about various travel circumstances here., external

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Germany has so far seen fewer deaths than other major European countries but Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says the armed forces have been mobilised to take part in the fight, which she called a "marathon".

Germany has had 31 deaths, up 11 in 24 hours. The number of cases has risen to 13,957, a rise of 2,958.

"We're seeing exponential growth," says Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute.

Hundreds of reservist medics have been contacted, the minister says, to help protect infrastructure and hand out medicines and equipment. The Bundeswehr has some 180,000 soldiers and 75,000 reservists and has already taking part in missions such as bringing Germans home from China.

"We are fighting an invisible enemy," Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Good morning from London. Here's a snapshot of the latest main developments:

• Letters are being sent to more than 65,000 retired doctors and nurses in England and Wales asking them to return to the NHS to help tackle the outbreak
• The government has pledged to ensure that all hospitals have enough protective gear and ventilators
• A list of key workers, external whose children will still be able to go to school after they shut later has been published
• The chancellor is set to announce an employment and wage subsidy package to try to protect millions of jobs, with many firms warning of collapse
• The death toll has risen to 144

• Train operators will gradually reduce services from Monday
• And the Catholic Church will suspend public Masses from Friday evening, external until further notice

Image source, Getty Images

The people of Japan and millions of tourists should now be enjoying the start of the cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, season.

It's an extremely important time of year for the country, both economically and culturally.

Traditionally friends and family get together, and for a new generation it's a perfect Instagram opportunity.

But this year the coronavirus pandemic means events have been cancelled and foreign visitors are staying away.

Read more here

The government's advice is clear: if you can keep your children at home, do so. But key workers still have the right to send their children to school. These are workers in:

• health and social care, including doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff

• education and childcare

• key public services including those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, "those responsible for the management of the deceased", and journalists and broadcasters who provide public service broadcasting

• local and national government
• food and other necessary goods, including those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery
• public safety and national security, including police and support staff; Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel; fire and rescue service employees, border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles
• transport
• utilities, communication and financial services

More information here., external

Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy has warned that India could soon be dealing with a "tsunami" of coronavirus cases.

He told the BBC that if the same mathematical models applied in the US or UK were applied to India, the country could be dealing with about 300 million cases, of which about four to five million could be severe. India has already implemented a series of wide-ranging measures to slow the spread of the virus.

Official figures show the country has 149 active cases, but many public health experts worry that the country has conducted far too few tests.

Image source, Getty Images

We get stories on panic buying from pretty much around the globe. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged shoppers to be sensible when buying food and groceries but it seems to have little effect.

Healthcare workers are urging people not to empty shelves, external as they - the ones who have to work the hardest right now - will then be unable to get food or provide for their families.

But can panic-buying be controlled and what is being done to restock shops?

Read our explainer trying to answer this question here.

Anna Jones
BBC News, Singapore

Image source, AFP

Yesterday the BBC ran a dedicated live page with our experts answering your questions - you can read the whole page here.

One person, Martin in Peterborough in the UK, asked: "Singapore got Covid-19 early. They now have only 313 cases reported and are cautiously re-opening schools. Should they be a model for others?"

The virus reached Singapore in late January. So far it hasn't actually closed all its schools - but it has just had the Easter holidays and schools are reopening as scheduled, at present.

Singapore took action very early to limit travel and take temperatures everywhere, and brought in a very efficient system to track and isolate close contacts of confirmed cases.

It has been widely praised but it wouldn't necessarily be possible in all countries, and now Singapore is seeing more imported cases, it may not be possible here much longer.

Read more on this here: How Singapore stayed one step ahead of the virus

Yvette Tan
BBC News

Cruise ships are again in the spotlight after three passengers on the Ruby Princess tested positive for the coronavirus. Here's a quick sum-up of the major cruise ship liners that have been affected by the virus:

• Diamond Princess - This was the first and most major cruise ship incident, taking place earlier in February. The alarm was sounded after a former passenger tested positive for the virus and later died. Around 600 people on the cruise ship later tested positive for the virus. The ship docked off the coast of Japan and passengers were quarantined on the ship for weeks before they were eventually allowed to disembark
• MS Westerdam - This cruise, which left Hong Kong on 1 February, was turned away from more than five places in Asia over coronavirus fears - despite no passengers testing positive. It was eventually allowed to dock in Cambodia, but shortly afterwards, news emerged that a passenger who disembarked had tested positive for the virus. It was later revealed that this was a false alarm
• Grand Princess- This cruise liner was kept off the coast of San Francisco for five days after 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for the virus. Passengers were eventually allowed off the ship in mid-March - those requiring urgent medical care were taken to hospital. Those not needing treatment were taken into quarantine
• Ruby Princess - Three passengers from the Ruby Princess tested positive for the virus after thousands of passengers disembarked in central Sydney. The passengers were on a cruise from Sydney to New Zealand. However, the danger now is that passengers came off the cruise with no knowledge of the virus being on the ship - it's highly likely that they might have walked around the city. The race is on now to contact the passengers

Read more here on why cruise ships could be "petri dishes" for the viruses.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

The Queen has issued a message to the UK, saying the nation is "entering a period of great concern and uncertainty".

The 93-year-old praised the work of scientists, medics and emergency staff, but added that everyone has a "vitally important part to play".

The monarch said: "Our nation's history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one.

"We are all being advised to change our normal routines and regular patterns of life for the greater good of the communities we live in and, in particular, to protect the most vulnerable within them.

"At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation's history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal."

Yes, we've said it before (and we'll probably say it again) - there are crucial measures you can take to help stopping the spread of this virus.

Wash your hands, sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, don't touch your face.

David Willis
LA correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

This is the most drastic measure that any state governor has taken to try to tame the virus – not even New York, which has more coronavirus cases than California, has gone this far.

California is, nonetheless, one of the main centres of the coronavirus here in the US, and the state’s Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an order covering virtually the entire population of 40 million people.

Speaking from the state’s emergency operations centre in Sacramento – a place that is normally used to coordinate the response to wildfires or earthquakes – he called on people here to only leave their homes if it was absolutely necessary, to get food, collect medicines, or care for a friend or relative.

Citing a model that state planners here have been using, Mr Newsom predicted that more than half of California’s population will contract the virus over the course of the next eight weeks – a staggering total of around 25 million people.

He said that cases of the virus were doubling every four hours in some areas, and – based on projections – nearly 20,000 more hospital beds would be needed to deal with the effects of the outbreak than the state could currently provide.

He’s asking Congress for a billion dollars in federal funding to support California’s response to the crisis, and calling for a navy hospital ship to be deployed to the Port of Los Angeles to help deal with the anticipated surge in patients.

The global coronavirus death toll has now exceeded 10,000, according to Johns Hopkins University., external

The US university - which has been compiling its data soon after the outbreak began late last year - says the number of confirmed cases is fast approaching 250,000.

With many people now confined to their homes, this doesn't mean they might not have caught the virus beforehand. And for all those who still have to go out, they're of course still at risk of getting infected.

So how can you tell whether you might have the virus? What are the symptoms? And how is Covid-19 different from a normal flu?

• The symptoms start with a fever followed by a dry cough, which can lead to breathing problems.
• It takes five days on average to start showing the symptoms, but some will get symptoms much later than this.
• The incubation period lasts up to 14 days, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. But some researchers say it may be up to 24 days.

You'll find a lot more info in our separate explainer on symptoms and how to stay safe.