Image source, Getty Images

Tennis players should not hand out used towels and sweatbands to fans, tennis associations have announced, in a bid to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

The new precautionary measures will be implemented at tournaments including Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Players will also not accept pens, tennis balls or other items from fans for autograph signing.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said in a joint statement the precautions were "common sense", adding that health and safety was "paramount".

Read the full article here.

Image source, Chris Wood

Chris Wood, from London, was at Venice airport on Sunday morning waiting to fly back to the UK after he and his girlfriend decided to cut short their holiday because of Italy's new travel restrictions.

He told the BBC that his Airbnb host messaged them to say the government had put Venice on lockdown.

“I was in a bit of a panic as I thought we were going to be stuck in Venice for a month," he said. “We woke up and decided to get out as soon as we could and left immediately."

Chris said Marco Polo Airport was "pretty quiet - no sense of panic", although their flight was delayed. “The initial announcement that Venice was in lockdown was quite terrifying but everything at the airport is pretty calm,” he said.

Image source, Chris Wood

Under the sweeping new measures, no-one will be allowed to enter or leave the region of Lombardy or 14 other Italian provinces - including Venice - without special permission until 3 April.

Pictures from the main railway station in Lombardy's capital, Milan, showed it largely deserted on Sunday after the travel restrictions were announced.

On Saturday, Italy reported a leap of more than 1,200 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours.

Image source, EPA

Image source, AFP

US President Donald Trump has insisted his administration has a "perfectly co-ordinated and fine tuned plan" to tackle the coronavirus.

The White House has faced criticism for its response to the outbreak and the government admitted on Thursday that it did not have enough testing kits at its disposal.

Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday: "We moved very early to close borders to certain areas, which was a Godsend. V.P is doing a great job."

Vice-President Mike Pence has been put in charge of the US response to the outbreak.

The president also took a swipe at the nation's media for its coverage of his administration's handling of the outbreak, tweeting: "The Fake News Media is doing everything possible to make us look bad. Sad!"

So far, 11 people in the US have died and there have been 164 cases across 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which based its latest figures on data collected by 16:00 ET on Friday.

Other local US news outlets have been reporting more cases which are not yet listed in the official figures.

Moscow city officials are threatening to jail anyone failing to self-isolate after returning from coronavirus hotspots.

The Russian capital's government announced a "high alert regime" and said those returning from countries including China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and other virus-hit countries should stay at home for 14 days.

Anyone disregarding the rule faces up to five years in prison. Those in self-isolation would be checked through the use of CCTV, officials added.

There have been at least 15 confirmed coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far.

Police in Hong Kong have used pepper spray to disperse a crowd protesting against a proposed clinic for suspected coronavirus infections.

Under government plans, the clinic in the Tai Po area would be one of 18 across the city designated for treating suspected Covid-19 cases. Officials say the clinics will ease pressure on Hong Kong's main hospitals in the event of a large-scale outbreak.

But the plan has alarmed local people. Last week two other clinics were firebombed, the South China Morning Post reported.

On Sunday, Hong Kong reported its third death from the disease.

Hong Kong was one of the worst-affected areas in the 2002-03 Sars outbreak.

Governments globally are grappling with the growing number of infections.

Here are some of the key latest figures - although they are changing quickly...

• Spain - The national death toll has risen to 17, newspaper El Pais reports, external, citing seven new deaths in Madrid, Aragon and the Basque Country

• Bangladesh - The country today confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus. The affected people are aged between 20 and 35 and two of them returned from Italy recently, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research
• Hong Kong - A third patient in Hong Kong has died from the virus, it was reported on Sunday. The 76-year-old woman became ill last month, according to public broadcaster RTHK. Her 79-year-old husband has also been diagnosed with the virus
• Switzerland - There are now 281 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with Swiss authorities confirming that all those infected have been placed in isolation

• Saudi Arabia - Four more cases have been confirmed, taking the total there to 11, the country's heath ministry said. The state news agency also said that the Qatif region was under temporary lockdown

Image source, Getty Images

The social impact of the virus across Asia is disproportionately affecting women.

On International Women's Day, here's a look at five ways women are bearing the brunt of the upheaval:

1. School closures

The start of the new school year has been postponed by two weeks in South Korea, meaning children will not return to class until 23 March.

As of 4 March, more than 253 million children in South Korea, China and Japan who would normally attend pre-primary to upper-secondary classes were not attending school, according to Unesco's latest figures.

2. Domestic violence

Activists have reported an increase in the number of instances of domestic violence in China since the outbreak as parts of the country are under quarantine.

3. Frontline care workers

Women form 70% of workers in the health and social sector, according to the World Health Organization.

In addition to this, women's menstruation needs are being overlooked, according to the Coronavirus Sister Support campaign, which is trying to deliver feminine hygiene products to frontline workers in China's Hubei province.

4. Migrant domestic helpers

It is estimated that about 400,000 women work as domestic staff in Hong Kong.

Concerns are growing among this group about their precarious work status, as well as their ability to find protective items.

5. Longer term economic impact

The global economy could grow at its slowest rate since 2009 because of the outbreak, according to economists and governments.

Low income women tend to work in hospitality, retail and other services, meaning they are particularly affected by the slowdown.

To read more about how the outbreak is disproportionately affecting women, see our full story.

Image source, Reuters

The Pope has delivered his traditional Sunday prayer and message via a livestream video to avoid drawing the usual large crowd in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

"I am close through prayer with the people who suffer from the current coronavirus epidemic," the pontiff, 83, said in a message recorded at the Vatican library.

A small crowd had still gathered in the square, where large screens had been erected, and the Pope appeared briefly at a window to greet them.

He has been suffering from a cold, but tested negative for coronavirus.

The World Health Organization's head has praised Italy for its "genuine sacrifices" after the government announced drastic new measures to contain the coronavirus.

Italy has put a quarter of its people under lockdown.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted: "The government & the people of Italy are taking bold, courageous steps aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus & protecting their country & world.

"They are making genuine sacrifices. WHO stands in solidarity with Italy & is here to continue supporting you."

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The health care system in the Italian region of Lombardy is on the brink of collapse, the head of its crisis response unit has said.

"We're now being forced to set up intensive care treatment in corridors, in operating theatres, in recovery rooms. We've emptied entire hospital sections to make space for seriously sick people," Antonio Pesenti told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"One of the best health systems in the world, in Lombardy, is a step away from collapse," he said.

The northern region is one of 15 Italian areas that have had measures imposed restricting travel in a bid to contain the outbreak.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr this morning, UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak brushed off claims that the coronavirus could delay the Brexit timetable.

He said that the government would be in a position in June to "take stock and see if these talks are progressing in the direction that we hope they are".

Another cruise ship has been refused permission to dock because of fears that passengers or crew may be carrying the coronavirus.

The Costa Fortuna is on its way to Singapore after Malaysia and Thailand both refused entry.

There are about 2,000 people on board including dozens of Italian passengers.

The ship's operator, Costa Crociere, said there were no suspected cases of the virus on board. It said Malaysia had imposed restrictions "upon the arrival of travellers of Italian nationality".

We will bring you more on this as we get it.

Celia Hatton
BBC Asia Pacific Regional Editor

Italy may be the top story in the BBC newsroom today, but it’s my job to keep an eye on what’s happening in China.

And today, the numbers are looking positive: Chinese health officials reported the lowest daily number of new coronavirus infections since January - an indication that the virus's spread is slowing.

China’s National Health Commission said there were 44 new cases on Saturday, that’s less than half the number reported on Friday.

Twenty-seven people died, the lowest figure in more than a month. All the deaths were recorded in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, where Covid-19 originated. One of the biggest temporary hospitals that was built there will now close.

But, as always, the numbers only tell part of the story.

China’s state media are promoting a video showing 34 female medical workers who have become “temporary mothers” to more than 100 children who might have the virus in Haikou, southern China.

The video shows , externala sobbing child being comforted by nurses in full biohazard suits – it’s a grim sight if you consider that similar scenes are still playing out in quarantine facilities across China.

Image source, AFP

The Iranian health ministry has increased the nation's death toll from coronavirus to 194, an increase of 49.

It said there were now 6,566 confirmed cases.

Some experts believe the death toll is being under-reported, although the World Health Organization has praised Iran for "switching on" to the outbreak and taking a new "all of government approach".

Image source, Reuters

Hundreds of churches across South Korea were closed on Sunday as the country battled to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The country's largest protestant church, Yoido Full Gospel Church, which has about 560,000 registered members, held its services online.

"Although it is the rule to come to church for service, this is an emergency situation," elder Kim Doo-hyung said.

The number of cases in South Korea has now risen above 7,300 - the highest outside China - but the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were signs that the outbreak was slowing down. It said on Sunday that for the first time in 11 days the number of new infections had fallen below 400.

The head of Italy's northern Piedmont region has tested positive for coronavirus - the second regional president to announce the news in just 24 hours.

A spokesman for Alberto Cirio said he felt well and would "continue to work remotely", La Repubblica reported.

On Saturday, Nicola Zingaretti, the head of the Lazio region and leader of Italy's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), said he had the disease.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has announced drastic new measures restricting travel in the region of Lombardy and 14 provinces.

His decree in full is here (in Italian), external.

Dr Margaret Harris, from the World Health Organization, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that the virus was “still continuing to intensify” across the world.

Dr Harris said the coronavirus placed a particular strain on health systems because there was a lot of work involved in caring for people who have contracted the virus.

She said that health staff should be the UK's "number one priority", including additional resources being given to hospitals and further training being provided to doctors and nurses.

"They need all the protective equipment, they also need training, they also need access, to know how to do the swab, when to do the swab, where the testing comes from.

"And they need back-up, they need other people to come and do the shifts. If they're working massively, they are tremendously at risk," Dr Harris said.

Iran Air has suspended all flights to and from Europe until further notice, semi-official state news agency Isna has said.

Isna said the move was because of "restrictions imposed by Europe for unknown reasons".

Iran Air said it was conducting "consultations" to resume the flights.

Iran is one of the worst-affected coronavirus nations outside China, with almost 6,000 confirmed cases and 145 deaths, although many believe the death toll is higher.

Here's a case study of a busy UK mum who, for 10 years, had to wrestle with a condition that required self-isolation.

Some pretty tough guidelines needed following.

Here's one of Nuala McCann's conclusions...

"Self-isolation? It was no picnic but it passed.

"If you ask me what I remember most about that time, it was not the lonely space in our big double bed or double flushing the toilet or the plonk of a tea tray at the door signalling dinner for one.

"No, it was the kind doctor who came bearing the radioiodine capsule in the glass tube. 'I'll sit with you and hold your hand while you take it,' he said.

"And he did and I took it. At that moment, his was a kindness that meant the world."

Read the full article here

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has addressed claims in the Sunday Times, external that experts believe 100,000 people could die from coronavirus across the UK.

Ms Sturgeon told Sky: “We are looking at the scientific worst-case scenarios right now and we have heard other figures in the past number of days that up to 80% of the population could be infected, although the vast majority mildly. So these kinds of figures are very much worst-case scenarios."

Ms Sturgeon stressed the figure was not a "forecast" of what will necessarily happen, adding that the majority of people who get the virus would recover quickly. She said the need for more funding for the NHS was "inevitable" as the UK looked to tackle the coronavirus.

Preparations around the UN Climate Change Conference due to be held in Glasgow in November are continuing, Ms Sturgeon added.

Image source, AFP