President Trump said he had signed an executive order temporarily suspending immigration to the US, as he said he would yesterday
US president thanked Harvard University after it decided not to accept nearly $9m (£7.3m) in coronavirus relief aid
"Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics," warned the head of the WHO
England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the country is not seeing a steep descent in new infections
There is an "incredibly small" chance of having an effective vaccine or drugs in the next calendar year, he said
Another 759 people in the UK died in hospital, bringing the total to 18,100
The first virus death in the US came weeks earlier than thought, an autopsy in California reveals
Germany is to make face masks mandatory on public transport from next week
The mid-western state of Missouri files a civil lawsuit in a US court, accusing China of deception over the virus
With people staying home, many of London's landmarks are deserted.
These photos were captured by BBC London online journalist Rebecca Cafe yesterday afternoon.
An almost-empty Regent Street
The National Gallery
Newspapers remain untaken, as there are fewer commuters near Oxford Street Tube station
For those in countries under lockdown, we've been advised not to go out and stay at home. But why is it so important? We break down the numbers for you, and what the rules are like in the UK.
Coronavirus update: Why does staying at home help?
Image source, Julia KeelJulia imitates Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer
Photographer Julia Keil is in lockdown in Paris because of the coronavirus.
With plenty of time at home, she's decided to turn the camera on herself - creating a series of self-portraits inspired by paintings, the cinema or other photographs.
Stephen Hawking's ventilator has been donated to the Royal Papworth Hospital in the English city of Cambridge in the hope that it will "help in the fight against Covid-19", says a Press Association report.
The physicist, who suffered from motor neurone disease, died in 2018.
"After [he] passed away, we returned all the medical equipment he used that belonged to the NHS but there were some items which he bought for himself," his daughter Lucy Hawking told the PA.
"We are now passing them to the NHS in the hope they will help."
The UK is understood to currently have about 10,000 ventilators.The Health Secretary Matt Hancock had earlier estimated that the country needs 18,000.
Read more about why ventilators are so important here.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, AFPSome rural areas in Indonesia are struggling to get people to comply with quarantine and self-isolation orders, but one community has come up with an innovative idea.
In the Sragen district of central Java, anyone who refuses an order to isolate themselves for 14 days can be tossed into a "haunted house" jail. Village heads have been told to repurpose abandoned houses feared to be haunted and use them as quarantine facilities. Belief in the supernatural and ghosts is common in Indonesia.
The village of Sepat has put up three offenders in one such house. Its chief Mulyono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told the AFP news agency: "Some locals including my own relatives, who tried to live here but only lasted for a month, they said they were disturbed by things, like giant dark shadows."
Meanwhile one of the residents, Heri Susanto, said he hadn't encountered any ghosts - yet. "But whatever happens, happens. I know this is for everyone's safety. Lesson learned," he said.
More pictures of the "haunted house" below:
Image source, AFP
Image source, AFPFor some medical workers in the UK, making the choice to go to work each day also means the acceptance that they won't be able to go back to their homes at night.
Some live with their older, more vulnerable parents, or children or partners with high-risk conditions - so they have to isolate themselves to eliminate any possibility of spreading the virus.
"As a mother you miss hugging your kids, and my son has been through a lot in the last year. I don't see this as a negative, but it's something I need to do to protect my son," said nurse Shani Stocker.
"Yes this is difficult but I'm willing to do it, to help get people better."
Read more about their experience here.
Image source, Sarah LinkThe NHS staff
Image source, InstagramTottenham footballers Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko have apologised after posting a picture of themselves training together, despite coronavirus restrictions.
Aurier posted a video on social media - since deleted - of him wearing a mask while running next to Sissoko.
UK government guidelines say you can only exercise on your own or with people you live with.
The pair said they will make a donation to the NHS as part of their apology.
Maggie Mutesi
BBC Africa Money Daily, Nairobi
Image source, Getty ImagesRwanda, which was to host the meeting, has extended its lockdown until early May
This year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to be held in Rwanda, has been postponed due to the pandemic.
More than 10,000 delegates - including the UK Prime Minister and Prince of Wales - were expected to attend the 26th summit in the capital Kigali in two months' time.
A new date has not been announced.
It was going to be the first summit held in a country with no colonial links to the UK. Rwanda, which was formerly a Belgian colony, joined the Commonwealth in 2009.
Image source, Getty ImagesOfficials in Iceland have announced a new package to support businesses and groups suffering in the pandemic.
Unemployed people and low-income families will get extra help and smaller businesses will get loans to support them in a package reportedly worth $420m.
"Today's announcement reflects our priorities to protect jobs, embrace our people and look to the future," Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said.
The northern European country has been praised for its virus testing, and has recorded 1,778 virus cases and 10 deaths so far.
Image source, FamilyAn English teacher working at Kingsford Community school , externalin Newham in east London has died of coronavirus.
On the school's website, headteacher Joan Deslandes wrote: "It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that I must share the tragic news that Doctor Louisa Rajakumari, a much-loved and gifted Kingsford teacher, sadly died this morning after contracting the coronavirus."
Image source, AFPInternational arrivals were quarantined for 14 days and some received an extension for non-compliance
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has said dozens of people who were filmed escaping from mandatory quarantine in the capital, Nairobi, will be arrested.
The president spoke on Wednesday morning, just hours after the video was shared online. It showed some people jumping over a perimeter wall at one of the quarantine centres.
President Kenyatta said the government knew the identities of all those who escaped and would take them back to the quarantine centre.
Kenya's Citizen TV channel said the escape took place when it started raining and guards took cover.
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Image source, Getty ImagesThe 2021 Women's European Championships is due to be held in England
Jonathan Head
BBC South East Asia Correspondent
Image source, AFP Getty ImagesThe first case of Covid-19 outside China was announced in Thailand on 13 January. The prediction was that this region, with huge numbers of Chinese visitors, would be among the worst affected. But that has not happened.
Vietnam is the standout success with only 268 cases and no deaths. The communist party leadership recognised the threat very early, declaring in late January the need to fight the virus like a war, and deploying propaganda reminiscent of the conflict with the US to get the public on board. Vietnam was also ruthless in quarantining entire districts where the virus was detected. It has limited healthcare resources and lacks the testing capacity of advanced economies like South Korea. Vietnam’s achievement is likely down to containing Covid-19 early, and using an intrusive state apparatus effectively.
Thailand’s Covid-19 numbers are also strikingly low, fewer than 3,000, with just 49 deaths. Thailand too is unable to test widely. Only 140,000 have been conducted since January. Health officials say mass testing would be too expensive. But Thailand also got its population on board very early with measures like facemasks. It has been able to isolate and trace contacts for identified cases, and has a network of one million health volunteers across the country.
Infections - and deaths - are rising quickly in Indonesia, where measures have been minimal. In Myanmar, which has a testing capacity of just 300 a day, there are fears the official Covid-19 number is far too low.
But none of these countries has levels anywhere near those in Europe and the US. Health experts aren’t sure why. Weather may play a part, as may social behaviour. It is probably too soon to know whether South East Asia will escape the terrible scenes witnessed at hospitals in Italy and New York.
Image source, Getty ImagesTransport for London (TfL) will run out of money by the end of the month unless the government steps in, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said.
TfL runs the UK capital's public transport systems, including the London Underground, but services have seen a dramatic drop in passengers because of coronavirus .
Khan said TfL is in discussions with the government about a grant but said it would not be able to pay staff and may have to cut services if that was not possible.
Khan told BBC London TfL is currently using cash reserves to keep running.
Here is a selection of the latest photographs from around the world, showing how daily life has changed.
Image source, AFPA view of a cemetery in Amazonas state, Brazil, shows new graves made for Covid-19 victims
Image source, AFPNotices informing of strict entrance measures are seen at a wet market in Singapore, after the country tightened its lockdown, known as a "circuit-breaker"
Image source, ReutersNew York's usually bustling streets continue to look deserted
Image source, Getty ImagesA new mural honouring medics has been painted in Melbourne, Australia
Image source, AFPChad and Tracey Robbins are seen after getting married in a special car park wedding ceremony in Anaheim, California
We may be in the midst of a pandemic, but the UN doesn't want us to forget the "deeper environmental emergency" facing the planet.
That's the view of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in remarks released to celebrate Earth Day.
The toll taken by the virus is "immediate and dreadful," Mr Guterres said, adding that it's also been a wake-up call "to do things right for the future".
Coronavirus is the biggest challenged the world has faced since World War Two, Mr Guterres reiterated, but also pointed out that biodiversity is in "steep decline" with climate disruption approaching "a point of no return".
You can read more about his comments here.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, EPAGermany has seen 2,237 new positive tests over the past day, official numbers on Wednesday showed.
The official overall number is now 145,694, although around two-thirds of those have already recovered.
The daily increase marks a second consecutive day of new infections slightly rising.
Earlier this week, the country eased some of its lockdown measures, allowing smaller shops to reopen and some school classes to resume.
The reported death toll rose by 281 to 4,879.
Image source, Getty ImagesCoronavirus: Online music therapy group a 'lifeline' in pandemic
Members of a music therapy group in the UK for people with dementia welcome its continuation online.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has come under criticism for his response to coronavirus, most recently for attending an anti-lockdown rally where he was seen repeatedly coughing.
The BBC's South America correspondent Katy Watson looks at how Bolsonaro has responded to the virus.
Coronavirus advice ignored by Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro