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Some of the world's biggest hotel operators are temporarily laying off tens of thousands of workers as they deal with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Marriott International, which is the world’s largest hotel company, told the BBC: "We are adjusting global operations accordingly which has meant either reduction in hours or a temporary leave for many of our associates at our properties."

Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels have also said that they are halting work in parts of their businesses.

In a statement, Hyatt told the BBC: "A number of Hyatt hotels have had to temporarily suspend operations mainly due to governmental guidelines to support social distancing and due to actions taken by our corporate customers."

James Gallagher
Health and science correspondent, BBC News

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Scientists are to track the spread of the coronavirus in the UK by using clues in its genetic code - the blueprint for building a virus.

Analysing samples collected from patients will also reveal whether the virus is mutating into new strains.

Sequencing the coronavirus's genetic code from different patients allows researchers to build up a picture of how the virus is spreading.

For example, a group of patients with nearly identical coronaviruses infecting them may all be part of the same cluster.

The same techniques, used at a hospital in Cambridge, were able to identify the source of an outbreak of the superbug MRSA.

Read more from James here.

Former Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville believe the two hotels where they have invited NHS staff to stay for free during the coronavirus crisis will be full within the "next week or 10 days".

Their GG Hospitality group owns the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester city centre and Hotel Football, which is close to United's Old Trafford stadium. Thirty-five medical professionals have already used the accommodation.

"The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has a contact point and any NHS worker who needs accommodation, whether at 02:00 or 10:00, can contact them and they message our staff at the hotel," Neville told the BBC. "This member of the medical professional will be given access to a room."

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The US Senate failed to pass a massive coronavirus aid package after Senate Democrats voted en masse to deny Republicans the necessary support.

The party-line vote poses a major setback to the bill after days of breakneck negotiations between lawmakers and the Trump administration, racing to pass the emergency measure.

Expected to cost upwards of $1.8 trillion (£1.5 trillion) it would be the largest economic stimulus package in the country’s history.

Democrats cited several concerns with the proposed legislation - including what they call a $500bn "corporate slush fund" - a loan programme controlled entirely by the Trump administration's treasury department. But they now risk major political backlash for appearing to obstruct a much-needed economic boost.

Republicans quickly ripped into Democrats, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accusing the lawmakers of creating a "spectacle" and of "playing games" with the economy.

But senators and officials say they still hope to reach a compromise. "We’re closer than we’ve ever been at any time over the past 48 hours to an agreement," said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.

As of yet, any Senate bill will have at least three absent Republicans: Kentucky’s Rand Paul and both senators for Utah, Mitt Romney and Mike Lee. Mr Paul has tested positive for Covid-19 and both Mr Romney and Mr Lee are in self-quarantine after recent contact with their fellow senator.

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Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that "life should not feel normal" in a briefing about the coronavirus, adding: "If it is, you're not doing the right things."

Speaking at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh, she said 14 people in Scotland had died of causes related to the virus, while the number of people who've tested positive had risen to 499.

"It has been clear to me that there are still too many people across our country who are being expected to, or expecting to, go to work as normal and this presents a serious and unnecessary risk of spreading the virus," she said.

"My message to shops that are still open is this and it is clear - if you are not providing essential items like food and medicines, then please also close now."

Empty shelves have been a common sight across British supermarkets of late.

With people being encouraged to stay indoors, many shoppers have looked to stock up - leading to some items temporarily running out of popular items.

Shoppers have been told to "be responsible" and think of others such as NHS workers, including critical care nurse Dawn Bilbrough, from York, who posted the video below.

But the supermarkets have been taking action, such as:

• Setting limits on how many of each item people can buy
• Setting aside 'silver hours' most mornings for the most vulnerable shoppers
• Creating an "NHS hour' dedicated to healthcare workers
• Putting aside a proportion of basic items of NHS staff
• Giving NHS staff priority at checkouts
• Relaxing rules around drivers' hours have been eased
• Waiving the 5p plastic bag charge for online orders, to speed up deliveries

In addition, rules have also been relaxed to allow supermarkets to share resources, such delivery vans and staff, and to co-ordinate stock levels across the UK.

And as demand for online orders grows, many of the biggest supermarkets have said they are hiring thousands of staff.

Read more about how the way Britons shop has changed here.

Tom Bateman
BBC News, Jerusalem

The doors are bolted shut at the compound that hosts al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem’s iconic Dome of the Rock.

At midday on Monday, two Muslim worshippers unrolled their prayer mats at one of the closed entrances to the plaza, and prayed on cobbled steps outside.

The holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, and is sacred to both religions.

Worshippers had been unable to enter the mosque itself for days, with prayer allowed only outside on the plaza as part of social distancing measures to counter coronavirus.

But on Sunday night the Waqf, the Islamic religious authority that administers the site, said Muslim worship would be suspended at all parts of the compound.

"We feel bitter at having to take this step but we were compelled to do so in order protect the lives and health of the public and to safeguard humanity, in compliance with the religious rulings in the Islamic world," the council said.

Israeli media reported that entry by Jewish visitors to the contested site would also be halted.

The compound is frequently at the centre of Jerusalem’s crackling tensions and is administered according to a status quo agreement involving Israel, neighbouring Jordan and the Waqf.

Under normal circumstances, any changes concerning access to the site can be politically explosive but the region has witnessed broad acceptance so far of measures to contain the virus' spread.

There are signs Germany's infection curve - reflecting rise in the number of cases - may be becoming less steep, according to the head of the country’s public health institute.

"We are seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly," Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control, told reporters.

"But I will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on Wednesday. But I am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect, which is very early because they have only been in place for a week."

Efforts to reduce the spread of the virus in the country have included school closures, hygiene measures such as hand-washing and restrictions on public gatherings.

The RKI reported earlier on Monday that the country now had 22,672 cases of Covid-19 - an increase of 4,062 on the previous day - and that 86 people had died so far.

Ischgl, a ski resort in Austria's Tyrol province, has been linked with hundreds of cases of coronavirus. Now Tyrol's government has asked state prosecutors to investigate whether a business at the resort failed to tell authorities about an infection at the end of February.

Austrian, German and Scandinavian health officials have all traced cases back to the tiny town, but it only shut for business last week.

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India’s government has said no domestic flights will take off from the early hours of Wednesday onwards.

This will bring Indian airports to a standstill as international flights to India have already been cancelled.

The ban on flights coming from abroad came into effect on Sunday and is set to last for one week, but it could be extended.

It’s unclear as yet how long domestic air travel will remain suspended.

Trains across the country have also been cancelled, and several states have shut their borders, severely limiting people’s ability to travel within the country.

The unprecedented measures come as the number of active Covid-19 cases in India reaches 415. Seven deaths have been reported so far.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the latest Formula 1 race to be postponed. The street race in Azerbaijan's capital Baku was set to take place on 7 June.

It is the eighth race to be called off at the start of the 2020 World Championship season. The Canadian Grand Prix, on 14 June, is the first race on the schedule that has not been postponed.

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Millions of people around the world are being asked to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak - but for many home isn't a safe place.

In Spain's Canary Islands, the authorities have launched a campaign to help victims of domestic abuse. Women in danger can go to a pharmacy and say the words Mascarilla-19, or Mask-19 in English, to alert staff that they need help.

Social media users have praised the scheme, and other local governments across the country have said they want to copy it.

In the last few years Spain has seen a number of high-profile cases of both domestic and sexual abuse, prompting mass protests.

This year's Olympics Games have been thrown into doubt because of the coronavirus pandemic, with athletes and officials calling for a decision about Tokyo 2020 to be made quickly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Here are some of the most significant developments:

• Canada became the first major nation to withdraw from the Games
• Australia's team says it is "clear" the Games cannot go ahead
• Poland has also called for the event to be moved because of "increasingly limited training options" for athletes

• World Athletics president Lord Coe says the Games must be postponed because they cannot be held "at all costs" and the move is "owed" to the athletes
• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has admitted for the first time that the Games could be postponed

The IOC has given itself four weeks to decide on the future of the event.

Options include a delay of several months or - more probably - a year. The IOC says cancellation is "not on the agenda". A "scaled-down" Games will also be considered.

The Olympics are scheduled start in Tokyo on 24 July.

Image source, Reuters

Kerry Allen
BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst

Image source, Weibo

Many in China are having a good giggle today at an image that has gone viral on the Sina Weibo microblog: of a woman with a specially designed face mask with a cap, so that she can drink through it with a straw.

Whether the mask works or not is up for debate, but it’s nevertheless put a smile on Chinese netizens’ faces, especially as many are seeing life coming back to some sort of normal, after almost two months in self-isolation.

More than 11,000 users are using the hashtag #MilkTeaMask, and joking about the commitment that has been made to perfecting the mask’s design so that the straw fits snugly, and users can drink without touching their faces. Some online manufacturers are even rushing to replicate it.

It’s become a light-hearted joke online in China that people’s love of iced, milky teas has not stopped them drinking responsibly. In late February, one tea shop in the central city of Changsha put metre-length markers down a busy pedestrian street, external, so that people could practice social distancing and still enjoy a beverage.

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Latin America is steeling itself. It's a region with pockets of extreme poverty, which are often concentrated in either densely packed urban areas or very remote regions.

So far, the numbers are small compared to other parts of the world, as it is at an earlier stage of the pandemic.

Brazil and Ecuador are the most affected in the region so far, with 25 and 14 deaths respectively.

Here are some of the latest announcements:

• Ecuador introduced a curfew at the weekend, keeping people off the streets from 19:00 to 05:00 local time
• Brazil's President Bolsonaro has been at odds with his country’s regional authorities, telling CNN Brasil he disagrees with their decision to close businesses. He called São Paulo Governor João Doria a “lunatic” for imposing a 15-day shutdown. One of the president’s major influencers, US-based former astrologer Olavo de Carvalho, has been criticised for broadcasting a message online saying the virus is a hoax and there has not been one death from it
• El Salvador has introduced a strict new curfew and is detaining those who don’t comply. The justice minister says 327 arrests were made , externalup until 22:30 Sunday night.

• Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, external has ruled out any curfew or troop deployments, saying they would be too authoritarian. However, in Mexico City, the mayor is closing museums, gyms, bars, theatres and more, from Monday until 19 April. Shopping malls and restaurants will stay open, and gatherings are being limited to 50 people

Image source, Getty Images

The world will take years to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned.

Angel Gurría, OECD secretary general, said the economic shock was already bigger than the financial crisis. He told the BBC it was "wishful thinking" to believe that countries would bounce back quickly.

The OECD has called on governments to rip up spending rules to ensure speedy testing and treatment of the virus.

Thousands of fast food restaurants are set to close across the UK on Monday.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said restaurants and cafes must close but exempted takeaway food and drink.

Among those to shut their doors to customers for both eat-in and takeaway are:

• Nando's has announced it has closed all of its restaurants, about 400 locations
• Sandwich shop Subway is to close its 1,700 franchises from 17:00 GMT
• McDonald's says it will close all 1,270 of its restaurants from 19:00 GMT
• Coffee chain Costa will shut its 2,000 shops by the end of Monday

Retailers have also been hit as the impact of new measures to tackle the coronavirus are rolled out.

• Laura Ashley is to permanently close 70 stores, affecting 721 jobs
• Primark's 189 UK stores have closed "until further notice"
• Other High Street retailers, such as John Lewis and Timpson, have already announced closures amid the pandemic

We may be washing our hands religiously these days, but what about our phones and other devices, which we handle all the time? Here's a quick guide on how to do a thorough wipe-down of your mobile, and what to use when cleaning it.

An intensive care nurse in a London hospital has warned people to stick to social distancing guidelines, after photos were posted online of busy parks in the capital.

The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "Most people will know, or are, a 60-year-old man with a heart condition. If that man gets coronavirus, statistically he's going to die. So think about that - do you want to lose your uncle, your dad, or your own life?

"Everyone will end up knowing someone who has either had it or even died from it. This is not a joke."

He also said that while nurses know their career is "going to be stressful" when they go into it, right now it's "a completely unknown entity".

"We can try our best, and we are. But the problem is that we don't know how bad it's going to get - so how can we really say we're prepared when we don't know the extent of the situation?"

If things in the UK get as bad as in Italy, he adds, "no healthcare system can prepare for that".

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Over the weekend we saw people in the UK flouting official advice, travelling to tourist hot spots and crowded markets. But nations across Europe have also struggled to enforce tight new restrictions.

On Monday, officials in Belgium said Brussels police had issued 288 penalty fines in just 24 hours - the highest number since confinement rules came into force in the country. Those punished included couples eating in parks, people drinking beer outside cafes and bar owners refusing to shut up shop.

Authorities in France have issued thousands of fines, and have deployed drones to enforce the strict lockdown rules. Some charities last week even alleged police had fined homeless people for not self-isolating, although this is unconfirmed.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Sunday a ban on all gatherings of more than two people who aren't family. It came just days after police in the state of Bavaria shut down a number of public "corona parties", organised by young people on social media. Premier Markus Söder called the gatherings "a real threat".