Indian authorities have reported that a 76-year-old man has died in the country after contracting coronavirus.

The unnamed man died yesterday in the southern city of Kalburgi. There was earlier speculation that he had been infected, but test results were only confirmed to the public today.

Five people have tested positive in Karnataka, the region where Kalburgi is based.

Asked if he is concerned about getting the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson just says: "I am washing my hands".

But he offers further advice on how other people can help stop the spread.

"I know that [Health Secretary] Matt Hancock has set up a system for people wanting to come back into the NHS, who have skills that could be of value to the country now," says Mr Johnson.

"We certainly encourage people to think of doing that in the weeks ahead."

He also hopes that people will "think of their neighbours, if they are aware people are staying at home to protect the community and stop the spread of the virus" and help them.

Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance says what is often seen in these pandemics, is "not outbreaks of panic but outbreaks of altruism".

The National Hockey League (NHL) will pause its 2019-2020 season starting with tonight's games, less than a day after a similar decision by the NBA.

The league contains 31 teams across the US and Canada.

"Following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement.

"Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent."

The NHL's total revenue for the 2017-2018 season was approximately $4.86bn (£3.86bn).

Image source, Reuters

The Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum in the Dutch capital Amsterdam are to close until the end of March to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Other major attractions in the Netherlands are also to close temporarily, including the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and art museums in The Hague and Rotterdam.

"In line with national policy regarding the coronavirus, the Rijksmuseum will close its doors to the public until March 31," a museum statement said.

The Netherlands has reported 614 cases and five deaths from the virus. The government has banned events involving more than 100 people and is urging citizens to work from home.

Image source, Getty Images

New York City's renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art will temporarily close its doors at its mainstay location on Fifth Avenue, as well as the Met Breuer and Met Cloisters "to support New York City's effort to contain the spread of Covid-19".

Two employees of the museum have reportedly shown symptoms of the virus.

"While we don't have any confirmed cases connected to the museum, we believe that we must do all that we can to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our community," said Met President Daniel Weiss.

The Met - an American cultural landmark - draws more than seven million visitors each year, making it one of the most visited art museums in the world.

As of yet, the star-studded Met Gala - an annual benefit event for the Costume Institute at the Met - due on 4 May, is still a go.

Prof Chris Whitty says there is no scientific evidence yet for closing schools.

The chief medical officer says the "one silver lining" of coronavirus is it looks as if children are affected much less than adults.

He adds: "It is not our view they do not get infected, we think they probably do, but they seem to have a much milder disease.

"Closing schools has big knock-on effects across society and has to be justified for very strong reasons.

"And the evidence for doing this appears to be quite weak."

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Other countries are closing schools, restricting movement and banning mass gatherings.

But health officials in the UK are taking a much more gradual, step-by-step approach. Why?

The obvious answer is that we have a relatively low number of confirmed cases so there is no need to take steps that will have profound social and economy consequences.

But we are also in this for the long haul. Countries taking drastic steps may well slow transmission. But how long can those steps be sustained?

At some point they have to be lifted and then the number of cases will rise.

If you can have some kind of controlled transmission, where the number of cases are kept low enough to allow the NHS to cope, is that a better way of managing it?

That’s certainly what the experts and ministers in the UK have decided. They believe it gives them the best chance of saving lives in the inevitable spread of the virus across the country.

We move onto questions from reporters now.

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg asks how sure UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is that his approach, holding back from more drastic measures, is the right one.

"We we are guided by the science in everything we do," Boris Johnson says.

Giving one example, he adds: "The issue about elderly people and the protection of elderly people, asking them to stay at home, that is one thing you have got to time... so that is coincides with the period the epidemic is really at its peak.

"You need to make sure you move to that period... asking the elderly and vulnerable to go through a pretty difficult period of isolation at a time when they are at the most risk of exposure."

Mr Johnson also says he is keeping the option of cancelling sporting events "up our sleeve", but to "maximise benefits of interventions" the government must "get the timing right".

Following news that the number of infections in Italy rose to 15,113 on Wednesday, officials have just reported that the death toll in the country has jumped in the last 24 hours by 189 to 1,016.

The UK's chief medical officer says the actions taken so far by the government has delayed the virus taking hold - but they must move to the next stage.

Chris Whitty says it is all about timing, adding: "If you move too early, people get fatigued. This is a long haul."

Mr Whitty says he "cannot emphasise enough about washing hands" as it makes a real difference in the spread.

But he reiterates the call for anyone, even with mild symptoms, to stay at home for seven days.

"The virus seems to have its maximum transmission period around the time the first symptoms show and for two or three days after, then it declines, so by seven days, the majority are not infectious and fine to go into society.

"The evidence would appear to [show] some people with mild symptoms can spread this to a lot of people."

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy has risen to 15,113 from 12,462 on Wednesday, officials say.

The UK's Chief Scientific Officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, says between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the UK will already have the virus.

"The actions we need to take is to delay the peak and to push the peak down," he says.

Reducing the number of cases at any one time is very important for the NHS, says Sir Patrick, as it helps the health service cope with the numbers.

"It is not possible to stop everyone getting it and not helpful, as we need to build immunity," he adds.

"There is no escaping the reality [that these measures] will cause severe disruption across the country for many months.

"But it will help slow disease and save lives."

The UK PM adds: "Things seem tough now, but remember, we will get through this epidemic... if we look out for each other and commit wholeheartedly to a national effort."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is time to move to the next stage of planning.

"The most dangerous period is not now, but some weeks away, depending how far it spreads," he says.

However, new measures are going to be in place.

They include:

• Staying at home for seven days if you have, however mild, a new continuous cough or higher temperature
• Advise all those over-70s not to go on cruises
• Advise against international school trips

Mr Johnson says they are only "considering the question of banning major events, including sporting fixtures" - not because of the spread of the virus, but because of the burden it puts on public services.

He also says schools should remain open.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is beginning a press conference from Downing Street.

He begins by saying he chaired an emergency meeting with ministers from across the UK.

"It is clear that coronavirus continues and will continue to spread across the world and our country over the next few months," adds Mr Johnson.

"We have done what can be done to contain disease, which has bought us valuable time.

"But it is now a global pandemic and the worst public health crisis for a generation."

He adds: "I must level with you, the British public, more families will lose their loved ones before their time."

Rob Cameron
BBC Prague Correspondent

Czechs famously like to appear stoical in the face of adversity, but the state of emergency declared by the government on Thursday afternoon is draconian in the extreme.

To limit the spread of Covid-19, the existing school closures and bans on public events attended by over 100 people have been ramped up. Now all events attended by over 30 people have been banned, but more critically - all bars, restaurants and pubs must now close from 20:00 to 06:00 local time.

For a country with the highest per capita beer consumption in the world, this represents an unprecedented interruption of normality.

To further prevent the spread of Coronavirus from abroad, citizens of 15 countries - China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Denmark and France - will be refused entry from midnight on Friday.

The Czech Republic is heavily reliant on foreign tourism – this will effectively suspend tourism overnight.

Those citizens with permanent or long-term residence in the Czech Republic will be allowed back in. However, a ban on Czech citizens visiting those 15 "at risk" countries will also apply to foreigners with long-term residence - meaning those who live here will now effectively be prevented from visiting their home countries for 30 days.

The testing system for the coronavirus in the US is currently failing, according to the top health official on infectious diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci.

“The system is not really geared to what we need right now… that is a failing, let’s admit it,” he said. “The idea of anybody getting it easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that. Do I think we should be. Yes. But we’re not.”

The US government has come under fire as the country has conducted far fewer tests than many other affected countries, including South Korea and Italy.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence could not confirm how many Americans had been tested for the virus.

Want to know more?

Image source, Getty Images

Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News, London

By the time the coronavirus hit Seattle and turned the city into the centre of the US outbreak, it had already spread rapidly in countries like Italy and Iran.

Despite this, Seattle doctors told me, their hospital wasn't ready for what was coming.

Dr Alex Adami of the University of Washington (UW) said: "None of us were actually trained in how to deal with the precautions for this disease, or what to do in terms of screening or providing care for these patients."

Hospital workers and patients were exposed to the virus as a result, he said.

Another doctor at the hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, said that failing to prepare was "foolish" and may have exacerbated the spread.

Initially, the hospital said that broader training was not needed, arguing that having only a small group of doctors working with coronavirus patients would limit exposure.

Hospitals in Seattle have since updated their procedures, but Dr Adami feared the same mistakes could be repeated elsewhere in the US.

"I want other hospitals in the US to look at this and say, 'what can we do better?'. I want people to look at this and learn the lesson that you have to be proactive and not reactive."

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Even before President Trump announced the European travel ban, the airline industry was facing a more than $100bn hit due to the coronavirus. Companies at home and abroad have slashed flights, frozen hiring and taken out extra money to get them through the crisis.

The ban is another "big impact", as Mr Trump acknowledged to reporters on Thursday.

Last March, almost a third of America’s overseas visitors - about 850,000 people - came from European countries affected by the ban. They spent about $3.4bn, the US Travel Association estimates.

The ban will cancel more than 7,300 flights from Europe to the US, or more than two million seats, with Germany and France accounting for the largest numbers, according to analysis by Cirium.

No wonder airline shares were decimated on Thursday and countries such as France were offering government assistance.

But the ramifications extend well beyond the industry.

Travel drives more than 10% of the global economy, accounting for one in 10 jobs worldwide, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. In recent years it has been among the fastest growing sectors.

So if it’s hurting, others will too.

We have an update from Iran, which reported 75 new deaths linked to Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the overall number to 429. At least 10,075 people have also been infected.

The Washington Post reports that satellite photographs appear to show Iranian authorities have excavated two large trenches at a cemetery in the city of Qom to bury the rising number of people who have died as a result of the new coronavirus disease.

The photographs suggest that excavation of the trenches, which are about 90m (100 yards) in length, began on 21 February - only two days after the country’s first confirmed deaths were reported in Qom.

One video shared on social media last week showed men, one of them wearing a protective suit, carrying a body bag towards one of the trenches.

Qom, 120km (75 miles) south of Tehran, has a population of more than 1.2 million. The city is visited by millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims and tourists from Iran and other countries every year because it is the location of the shrine of a revered female saint.