Summary

  • The number of people in the UK to die with coronavirus has risen to 233

  • Nearly 800 people reported dead in past day in Italy's spiralling crisis

  • Death toll passes 12,000 worldwide, confirmed cases near 300,000; more than 90,000 recovered

  • UK environment secretary urges shoppers to be considerate amid panic buying in supermarkets

  • New York governor criticises young for ignoring social distance rules

  • China reports no new locally-transmitted cases for third consecutive day

  • Sydney closes its famous beaches, including Bondi, due to overcrowding

  1. The day's main developmentspublished at 22:33 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Leaders around the world have urged people to follow their countries' measures amid reports some were not following advice to restrict their movements and stay at home.

    In other developments:

    • In Italy, the worst-hit European country, nearly 800 people died in the past day, bringing the total number of dead to 4,825
    • Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the numbers in the UK were "very stark" and "accelerating", adding: "The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together... then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed."
    • In a message to the country on Saturday evening, Mr Johnson urged people not to visit loved ones on Mother's Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday. You can read more here
    • Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that "the worst is yet to come" as he urged people to stay indoors

    We're pausing our coverage but you can get the latest developments around the world in our main story.

  2. UK PM in Mother's Day warningpublished at 22:27 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    A flower seller sits on a stool waiting for business ahead of Mother's Day in Birmingham, central England. Photo: 21 March 2020Image source, AFP/Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A flower seller waits for business ahead of Mother's Day in Birmingham

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to visit loved ones on Mother's Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday.

    He warned that the country's national health service could be "overwhelmed" if people did not act to slow the "accelerating" spread of coronavirus, .

    The number of people who have died in the UK with coronavirus rose to 233 on Saturday, as cases topped 5,000.

    It comes as NHS England plans to write to 1.5 million people most at risk.

    Those at-risk people will receive letters or text messages strongly advising them not to go out for 12 weeks to protect themselves, the government said.

    They include people who have received organ transplants, are living with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis or specific cancers such as blood or bone marrow.

  3. Italy's worst-hit region imposes harsher measurespublished at 22:22 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Italian soldiers patrol the streets of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Photo: 21 March 2020Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Italian soldiers have been deployed to patrol across Lombardy

    Italy's northern Lombardy region has introduced even stricter measures than the rest of the country to try and stop the spread of coronavirus.

    On Facebook, the regional president Attilio Fontana announced that sport and physical activity in the open air, even on your own, will be banned.

    Other measures include banning the use of vending machines and suspending all open-air weekly markets.

    Work on building sites will be stopped apart from those working on hospitals, roads and railways.

    Of the 793 coronavirus deaths in Italy in the last 24 hours, 546 were in Lombardy.

  4. Ex-Real Madrid boss diespublished at 22:17 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz. File photoImage source, Reuters

    Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died on Saturday after being hospitalised with coronavirus.

    Sanz, 76, was president at the Bernabeu from 1995-2000, a period in which Real won the Champions League twice.

    "My father has just died," wrote Sanz's son Lorenzo Sanz Duran on Twitter. "He did not deserve this end in this manner."

    Read more here.

  5. North Korea says Trump offered help to fight virus in letterpublished at 21:59 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shake hands during a meeting in June 2019Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Donald Trump (left) and Kim Jong-un last met in June 2019

    US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, offering co-operation in tackling the coronavirus outbreak, North Korea's state media report.

    Mr Trump "explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries... and expressed his intent to render co-operation in the anti-epidemic work," KCNA news agency quoted Mr Kim's younger sister Kim Yo-jong as saying.

    The US president "was impressed by the efforts made by the chairman [Kim Jong-un] to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic", Ms Kim, who is an influential figure in Pyongyang, is also reported as saying.

    KCNA did not say when the letter was received.

    The White House has not commented on the issue.

    The two leaders last met in June 2019, when Mr Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea.

    However, negotiations over North Korea's controversial nuclear programme have since stalled.

  6. The worst is yet to come, warns Spain's PMpublished at 21:43 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    A health worker pushes a woman on a wheelchair outside a hospital in SpainImage source, AFP

    Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said that, "sadly", the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths will rise in the country, warning that "the worst is yet to come" and that "very difficult days lay ahead".

    In a news conference on Saturday night, he said the risk was "everywhere", urging people to stay indoors. He called the country's measures to curb the virus one of the strictest in Europe.

    Mr Sánchez also praised the response of his compatriots to the crisis, one week into the state of emergency.

    Spain has recorded 24,926 cases with 1,326 deaths.

  7. Warning over 'reckless' Scottish travelpublished at 21:25 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Campervans seen in BBC Scotland image

    Scotland's Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing has said he is "furious" at the "reckless and irresponsible behaviour" of people travelling to the Scottish Highlands and Islands during the coronavirus pandemic.

    His comments come after reports of people in campervans trying to find solace from outbreaks elsewhere across the UK.

    "This has to stop now. Let me be crystal clear, people should not be travelling to rural and island communities full stop," Mr Ewing said in a statement. "They are endangering lives. Do not travel.

    “Panic buying will have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of rural shops and potentially puts unwanted pressure on NHS services in our rural communities."

    Kate Forbes, Scotland's finance secretary and a Highlands MSP, has also hit-out at those travelling.

    Read more here

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  8. Why are Australia's remote Aboriginal communities at risk?published at 21:02 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Simon Atkinson
    BBC News, Sydney

    For over a week, some of Australia's remote Aboriginal communities have been severely restricting visitors - to try to keep out the Covid-19 virus.

    Now the government is using its Biosecurity Act to bring in these limitations to such places across the country.

    Only medical and health staff will be allowed in, as well as police and educational services.

    About 120,000 people live in remote communities. So far, no cases have been confirmed in those areas.

    Read more from Simon.

  9. Rihanna pledges $5m to pandemic fightpublished at 20:41 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Rihanna on-stage at 2020 NAACP award ceremonyImage source, Getty Images

    Rihanna is the latest celebrity to donate toward fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

    The singer's Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) pledged $5m to help a number of organisations helping those affected. The donation will benefit at-risk communities through food banks and will help provide medical training and equipment to doctors, according to the CLF.

    A number of other celebrities, from reality stars to fashion designers, have offered cash and equipment donations in recent days.

  10. NHS workers, apps encourage people to #StayHomepublished at 19:55 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Usually people take to social media to share where they are heading out on a Saturday night - but this week things could not be more different.

    People around the UK are taking the government's #StayHomeSaveLives message on-board to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson has shared a tweet of NHS staff holding signs that read: "We stay here for you, please stay home for us".

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    Photo-sharing app Instagram is also trying to encourage social distance by launching a special "Stay Home" sticker.

    Any stories tagged with the motif will now go on a special curated Instagram-story at the front of everyone's feeds.

  11. Deaths in Italy rising steeplypublished at 19:43 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    As we mentioned earlier, Italy has reported another big increase in the number of deaths of people with coronavirus - 793 in the last 24 hours.

    It's by far the worst single-day total worldwide since the pandemic began. In total 4,825 people have now died across the country.

    On average, one coronavirus patient is dying in Italy every two minutes.

    Number of coronavirus deaths in Italy

    More than 53,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus nationally, up more than 6,500 since Friday. And that's despite strict measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

    Here's a visual guide to the pandemic around the world.

  12. Bolivia orders people to stay at home for two weekspublished at 19:19 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Bolivia has ordered people to stay at home for the next 14 days, the latest South American country to impose strict restrictions on movement in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.

    "It's a tough but necessary decision for the good of everyone," said interim President Jeanine Anez. "We must be at home for 24 hours a day."

    So far, Bolivia has confirmed 19 coronavirus cases.

    Colombia and Argentina have also imposed similar restrictions.

    Read more about what Latin American countries are doing in their fight against the virus.

  13. UK confirmed cases climb over 5,000published at 19:06 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    There are now 5,018 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - the disease caused by coronavirus - across the UK, according to an update by the Department of Health, external.

    Officials say almost 73,000 people have been tested so far.

    The figures, based on data up until 09:00 on Saturday, shows a rise of more than 1,000 cases in the last 24 hours.

    In total 233 people with coronavirus have died across the UK. There have been 56 new deaths, including 53 in England, recorded since Friday.

  14. Nigeria to halt all international flightspublished at 18:47 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    Chris Ewokor
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Passengers at Lagos airport, Nigeria. Photo: 19 March 2020Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Nigeria will close its airspace to all international flights on Monday

    Nigeria has confirmed 10 new coronavirus cases - three in the capital Abuja and seven in Lagos.

    So far there are now a total of 22 confirmed cases in the country.

    Nine out of the 10 new cases have travel history outside Nigeria in the last week, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control

    One case is said to be a close contact of a confirmed case.

    Authorities said they were engaged in aggressive contact tracing and containment strategies to curtail further spread.

    Meanwhile, the government says it is closing its airspace to all international flights from Monday. The use of passenger trains shall also to be suspended on that day.

    On the brighter side however, Lagos state governor announced that the Italian man who was the first registered case back on 28 February was discharged from hospital on Friday.

  15. Trump urges US citizens: Stay at homepublished at 18:37 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    During this Saturday's news conference, US President Donald Trump told US citizens to stay at home to help in the fight against coronavirus.

    A number of US states have already ordered shutdowns with one in five Americans soon set to be under a "stay at home" order.

    Media caption,

    Coronavirus: Trump urges US citizens to stay indoors

  16. Japan to announce decision over Olympics soon, says Trumppublished at 18:29 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    President Trump has now left the news conference at the White House. Before that, he talked about the 2020 Olympic Games, set to begin in Tokyo in late July.

    He says a decision about whether to postpone the games will be made by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe soon.

    "Prime Minister Abe has a big decision to make. They’ve built one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever seen... It’s his decision and I know he is going to make it soon, I don’t know what it’s going to be and I didn’t think I should be influencing it.

    "The job that Japan has done on that venue is incredible," he adds, calling the stadium “flawless", "beautiful" and "on-budget".

  17. France reports 112 more deathspublished at 18:19 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    France has reported 112 more deaths from coronavirus, bringing the country's death toll to 562, according to the health ministry.

  18. Why aren't we sanitising masks, asks Trumppublished at 18:14 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    "Why aren’t we sanitising masks," President Trump asks, adding: "We have very good liquids to do this."

    He says some mask designs "don’t lend themselves" to this, and that he’s studied all the different mask designs.

    In New York, doctors and nurses have reportedly only been given one mask to use per week, and have taken to using hand sanitiser in an effort to keep them clean.

    Health officials recommend throwing away masks between patients.

  19. Trump about closing hotels: You don't want people to get togetherpublished at 18:06 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    US President Donald Trump is still taking questions from reporters at the White House. He says his business, the Trump Organization, has been taking a hit from the coronavirus outbreak.

    He mentions that other hotel chains, such as the Hilton, have also been suffering.

    "I guess, I haven’t even asked, that Mar-a-lago is closed down," he says.

    "As far as the hotels, I would probably do what everybody else is doing. You have to close things up. You don’t want people to get together."

  20. Very special spending bill being prepared, Trump sayspublished at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2020

    The spending bill being worked out by Congress is going to be "really something very special," says President Donald Trump.

    "It’s gonna help people," he said about the stimulus bill that is forecast to be worth over $2 trillion (£1.7tn).

    "We had the greatest economy in the history of the world and then we hit this problem," he says.

    Stock markets have shed all of the gains earned in the three years of the Trump presidency, economists said on Friday.

    "We’re doing this package, the likes of which nobody has ever done before," Mr Trump adds.