Image source, AFP

• Almost all of India is under lockdown and state borders have been closed. Buses, trains and other forms of public transport are suspended. On Monday, the authorities said domestic flights would also be stopped. The country has reported 485 cases and nine people have died. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation again on Tuesday evening

• Neighbouring Pakistan has almost twice as many confirmed cases - 878 as of Monday evening. Sweeping restrictions are in place although the government stopped short of imposing a nationwide lockdown. However, several provinces have announced them independently. The army is being brought in to help enforce the restrictions

• Bangladesh, which has reported 33 cases and three deaths, is also deploying its armed forces to help maintain social distancing and boost Covid-19 preventive measures. The soldiers will also monitor thousands of expatriate returnees who have been quarantined. Across South Asia, there are concerns that the real number of cases could be much higher.

• In Thailand a month-long state of emergency will start on Thursday which will include curfews and checkpoints. The government has been criticised for failing to take strong action so far. Four people have died and nearly 900 tested positive

• Talks between the Japanese PM and the International Olympic Committee are expected this evening

• The most populous country without any infections until now - Myanmar - has announced two cases
• Indonesia has confirmed another 107 new cases - the country's biggest daily increase to date. A total of 686 cases have now been recorded, with 55 deaths as of Tuesday

Image source, Getty Images

Budget airline Ryanair says it expects most of its flights to be grounded from Tuesday, adding that it is unlikely to run any in April and May.

The company also says it has offered its aircraft to all EU governments for rescue flights and the essential movement of medicines, personal protective equipment (PPE) and food supplies.

"As Europe's borders become congested or closed, it is vital Ryanair plays its part to keep vital medicines and food supplies moving," says chief executive Michael O'Leary.

Ryanair also says passengers who have had a flight cancelled because of the measures will receive an email outlining their options in the "next week or two".

Campaigners and MPs are urging the UK government for clarity after it reversed a decision allowing abortions to be carried out at home while movement is restricted.

On Monday, a page on the Gov.uk, external website stated that women would temporarily be able to be prescribed abortion pills to be taken at home.

It was accompanied by a letter signed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and was also posted on the Department of Health and Social Care's social media pages.

But by the end of the day, the page - and all related social media posts - had disappeared. In its place is now a statement that the measure was "published in error", external, adding: "There will be no changes to abortion regulations."

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) tweeted on Tuesday that it wanted "urgent clarification".

Labour MP Jess Phillips also told the BBC she was going to "seek assurances from the government" that women would be able to access abortions.

"Women needing a termination are often the forgotten part of our health system, and since the Covid-19 outbreak a few of us have been working to ensure that terminations would still be possible in a time of isolation," Ms Phillips said.

"We had felt that we had assurances from the government that they would relax the need for two doctors to sign off a termination as many service providers will be down to a skeleton staff. However, this appears to have been missed."

We have the latest figures showing how the disease is spreading around the world.

Infections have been recorded in some 190 countries, with more than 300,000 confirmed cases outside China, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, external.

The true figure for the number of people with coronavirus is thought to be much higher as many of those with milder symptoms have not been tested.

See charts and maps explaining the spread of the virus here in our visual guide to the pandemic

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to type out in all capital letters:

The president has previously said Americans should not gather in groups of more than 10 and avoid bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms and crowds for 15 days.

His tweet followed a Fox News segment earlier on Sunday, where it was suggested that the “cure” of social distancing could be worse than the “disease” itself.

It has prompted scathing criticism from experts. In a long tweet, Tom Inglesby, the director of the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, explained why this claim could be problematic, external.

“In Asia they've slowed the disease by slowing social interaction. Left to its own, this disease spreads from 1 person to about 2.5 people, and then they do the same, and so on. For this disease to stop, we need to make it so that the average person spreads it to <1 other person,” he wrote.

Social distancing, he argued, would also help lift some strain off the healthcare system. Done correctly, it could offer much needed relief to overwhelmed hospitals across the US.

He also warned that a lack of social distancing could make Covid-19 “spread widely, rapidly, terribly” - leading to the deaths of potentially millions in the year ahead.

The number of people dying from coronavirus in Spain has risen by 514 in the past 24 hours - a daily record. A total of 2,696 people have now died and there are 39,637 confirmed cases, the Spanish ministry of health says.

France has begun a two-month health emergency, tightening restrictions on movement. Exercise is now only allowed outside for an hour and within 1km (about half a mile) of your home. Elsewhere in Europe:

• Germany has reported a steep increase in the number of cases. The Robert Koch Institute says 27,436 people have Covid-19, a rise of 4,800 in 24 hours. This may include cases over the weekend. The biggest increase was in Baden-Württemberg state. RKI says 114 have died. Meanwhile, a plane carrying eight infected patients from Italy landed in Leipzig overnight for treatment.
• Italy’s civil protection head says as many as 600,000 people have been infected, almost 10 times the official figure. The rate of increase in new cases and deaths has begun to fall and Angelo Borrelli has told La Repubblica “in the next few hours… we will understand if the growth curve really is flattening out”
• Doctors in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier have asked for entire town to be put into quarantine, saying it has become a “hub” for infections. One doctor estimates up to 60% of the town is infected. The local authority says national restrictions are sufficient and quarantine is not a solution
• Spain has so far seen the majority of its 35,000 cases in Madrid and three other areas in the north. After the army found the bodies of care home residents in their beds, nursing homes have been told to tell the authorities immediately if they have a problem
• The Netherlands has banned all gatherings of three or more people until June
• A report from Belgium says the authorities destroyed six million surgical masks in 2019 as they were past their expiry date. The health minister is facing criticism because they were not replaced in time for this pandemic

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games could be formally postponed as early as today, BBC Sport understands.

An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson said: “The IOC is discussing with the Japanese government, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the IOC Executive Board about the scenario planning including the postponement of the Games and will communicate in due course.”

On Monday night, the United States Olympic Committee said it was "more clear than ever" the Games are on "a path to postponement".

The Games are scheduled to start on 24 July.

The British Army has been going to hospitals in London this morning to deliver Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - the special protective gear you've no doubt seen doctors and nurses wearing while treating coronavirus patients.

NHS staff have previously told the BBC there is a dangerous lack of PPE available for medics.

One doctor said it made them feel like "cannon fodder", while another said the masks, aprons and short gloves that constitute PPE in the UK are short of World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The WHO recommends medics wear a full gown and visor.

The chair of the Doctor's Association UK also told the BBC the lack of adequate PPE made NHS workers feel like "lambs to the slaughter".

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the government to "sort this out".

Across the Middle East, countries are continuing to tighten restrictions - and punish violators. Here's the latest:

• Jordan, which indefinitely extended a round-the-clock curfew on Monday, is to begin distributing bread, water and fuel
• Israel is expected to announce a curfew and tough penalties for violations, with people only allowed out to get food, medicine and other essential items
• Syria's Kurdish Regional Government, in the north-east, says it will impose a two-week curfew from Thursday, warning of the risk of the coronavirus spreading through camps for internally displaced people as well as among prisoners, including thousands of Islamic State members and their families
• In Iran - where 1,812 people have died from the virus, and more than 23,000 are infected - the authorities have announced an extension by at least another month to temporary leave already granted to some 85,000 prisoners. British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among those who have been released
• UAE authorities have called for all Emirati students abroad to return home within 48 hours, and for members of the public to stay at home apart from in exceptional circumstances

Image source, AFP

Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

“Paradise feels like it is slowly turning into a prison," Briton Hollie Hunt told me today, as she and a reported 200 other tourists remain stranded on the Philippines’ famous Boracay island.Gatherings and swimming along the island's white-sand beaches are currently prohibited.

Hollie, who has been stuck on the island for a week, says that as an NHS auxiliary nurse she is desperate to return to the UK so she can help “overworked” colleagues treating Covid-19 patients at home.

On 17 March all domestic flights to and from the capital Manila were cancelled. Since then airlines have been operating limited “sweeper flights” to pick up stranded tourists.

The British Embassy says it is aware of about 170 Britons in the Philippines who are currently adversely affected by travel restrictions ordered by the government.

Consular staff at the embassy say they are “working around the clock” with the authorities and airlines to try to keep routes open.

Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent

For the first time in the UK, mobile networks are sending out an emergency government text message to your mobile.

The message will read:

It follows similar moves in the Netherlands and South Korea, where governments can send such alerts directly.

In the UK, the government has had to work with the operators to get the messages sent because an emergency alert system, trialled seven years ago, was never put into practice, the Guardian newspaper reports., external.

If it had been, the government could have bypassed the operators and sent messages directly to phone users, as has happened in other countries.

Despite the lockdown announced in the UK on Monday evening, London Underground trains are reported to be busy on Tuesday morning.

UK PM Boris Johnson has ordered people to leave their homes only for "very limited purposes". Among the restrictions he announced was that of travelling to and from work where "absolutely necessary".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also urged workers to stay at home and said public transport should only be used by key workers, otherwise "people will die".

Some passengers have said a reduced service means trains are busier.

A group of pregnant healthcare workers in the UK have written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock asking for greater clarity about their working conditions during the coronavirus outbreak.

The government has recommended that pregnant women limit social contact and work from home where possible. , externalBut the healthcare workers say it is difficult for them to do this while continuing to do their jobs. In the letter, they say they remain in roles with a risk of exposure to the coronavirus because their work is seen as "essential."

"It is not possible to follow social distancing measures when working within a healthcare setting and this poses an unjustifiable risk to pregnant healthcare workers," they write., external

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has released guidelines for NHS workers who are pregnant during the outbreak.

“If you are in your first or second trimester (less than 28 weeks pregnant), with no underlying health conditions, you should practise social distancing but can continue to work in a patient-facing role, provided the necessary precautions are taken," the guidelines state., external

“If this is not possible, you should use personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure a thorough risk assessment is undertaken."

Healthcare workers say this contradicts the government advice for pregnant workers in other professions.

"We want to ensure that in line with government advice, we are able to practise social distancing at any gestation to minimise our risk," they say in the letter.

The RCOG says it will issue further guidance as new information emerges.

The BBC has asked the Department of Health and Social Care to comment.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

The measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson represent some of the most far-reaching curbs on personal freedom ever introduced in the UK in peacetime.

But it’s unclear how the rules can be made to work.

The first hurdle is to get them onto the statute book. Although the prime minister said the restrictions on travel and gatherings would come into effect immediately, police don’t yet have the powers to enforce them and have yet to be given official guidance.

The second issue, assuming legal regulations are approved later this week, is the practical difficulty of getting groups to disperse, and accurately identifying people who shouldn’t be on the streets, without losing public goodwill and sparking disorder.

When efforts to persuade those who don’t comply have failed, officers will be able to issue fines, with prosecutions likely to be a last resort.

But at a time when police resources are stretched, and officer numbers increasingly depleted through illness and self-isolation, forces will be hoping communities do the right thing without the need for police intervention.

Here's what you need to know today:

• The lockdown in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the global coronavirus outbreak began, will be partially lifted on 8 April. Travel restrictions in the rest of Hubei province will be lifted from midnight on Tuesday - for residents who are healthy
• People in the UK are starting life under strict new measures. Police will enforce restrictions, which say that people will only be able to leave their home to buy essential groceries, exercise once a day, travel for work where "absolutely necessary" or any medical need
• US President Donald Trump has said he will keep the economy open, despite the coronavirus threat. At a news conference on Monday, he said that "America will again and soon be open for business"
• A member of the International Olympics Committee has said the 2020 Olympic Games will be postponed by one year, but a formal announcement is expected in coming days
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the pandemic is "accelerating".
• Jazz saxophonist Emmanuel N'Djoke Dibango, known as Manu Dibango, has died of Covid-19 at a hospital in France
• Hundreds of British travellers are stranded in Australia and New Zealand amid severe travel lockdowns

UK cabinet minister Michael Gove has been asked to provide more clarity on the government guidelines announced on Monday night.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, he said:

• Chancellor Rishi Sunak will outline more help for self-employed workers later
• Deliveries of "non-essential" goods such as toys and clothes can continue
• He says people should work from home "wherever possible" but there will be exceptions. For example, he says plumbers may be called out to emergencies but Sports Direct stores "should not be open"
• Ministers want to "reduce the rate of infection" and will follow scientific advice on whether or not to change the measures after three weeks
• Children under the age of 18 can travel between the homes of separated parents - a point he reiterated on Twitter:

Mr Gove also addressed the question of whether people could visit elderly parents.

"The ideal thing to do is to maintain contact through social media. You can, of course, drop off items or groceries or other items that they request or need - if they're not in a position themselves to take a journey outside in order to shop."

He adds that the UK is rolling out a "network of support" for the most vulnerable.

You can find the UK's full guidance on the new measures here, external.

Image source, AFP

One of Africa's most famous musicians, saxophonist Manu Dibango, has died after contracting Covid-19.

The Cameroonian jazz star, who was 86, was taken to a French hospital last week, according to French media.

"Dear relatives, dear friends, dear fans, a voice rises in the distance... It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Manu Dibango, our 'Papy Groove', which occurred on 24 March 2020 at the age of 86, from Covid-19," a statement said on his Facebook page, external.

The saxophonist's career began in the 1950s and he became a globe-trotting musician, living and regularly performing in France, Belgium, Jamaica, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and in Cameroon.

His music provided inspiration for pop stars, from Michael Jackson to Rihanna.

Back in 2013, BBC Africa's Sophie Ikenye asked him which of his performances he found the most memorable. You can watch what he told her here.

Many non-critical workers in the UK are still turning up to do their jobs because their employers are asking them to.

The news rules say all shops selling non-essential goods must close immediately, external. Retailer Sports Direct initially said it would remain open but has now changed course and will close its stores for now.

Other businesses - such as the construction industry - are unclear if the rules apply to them.

Graham Watts, the chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, tweeted on Monday night:, external “Officials are working to secure much needed clarity about the position of construction sites."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to clarify which workplaces should close.

Without that, workers fear they may be asked to turn up, despite the lockdown.

Thailand's government is set to declare a state of emergency, as the outbreak continues to infect hundreds across the country.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the one-month state of emergency would come into effect on Thursday.

This move will give the government additional enforcement powers.

It's still not clear what these could be. Thailand says they'll will be announced later.

It comes after the country reported 106 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths. The overall number of confirmed cases now stands at 827, with four deaths.