Summary

  • 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

Live Reporting

Edited by Jude Sheerin

  1. UN warns of famines of ‘biblical proportions’

    Workers with rice bagsReuters

    The world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" over the virus, the UN World Food Programme (WFP )warns.

    A new WFP report estimates the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million.

    Those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change: Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti.

    Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages.

    Click here to read our full story on the famine warning.

  2. Missouri sues China over virus pandemic

    Chinese flag and man with face maskAFP

    The US state of Missouri is suing the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party over what it calls deliberate deception leading to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

    "The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of Covid-19, silenced whistleblowers and did little to stop the spread of the disease," Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said. "They must be held accountable for their actions."

    The lawsuit seeks damages for the loss of life, human suffering, and economic turmoil that has occurred in the state.

    China strongly denies mishandling the crisis.

    While Missouri officials called the lawsuit "historic", observers say it will face significant legal and procedural obstacles as US law gives foreign governments immunity from such actions.

  3. Welcome to our coverage

    Hello and welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're writing to you from Asia this morning and will be joined by our colleagues from London later on in the day. Here's a quick look at what's happened overnight:

    • Missouri has become the first US state to sue the Chinese government over its handling of the outbreak, saying the Chinese response led to economic losses in the state
    • The US will stop issuing green cards for 60 days, with President Donald Trump saying this would protect American jobs during the outbreak
    • The WHO has dismissed theories that the virus was manipulated or produced in a Chinese laboratory, saying "all available evidence" suggested it had an "animal origin"
    • The world is at risk of a widespread famine of "biblical proportions" because of the virus outbreak, the UN has warned. It says the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million.
    • A staggering 177,200 people worldwide have now died from the coronavirus, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. There are over 2.5 million cases worldwide