A member of the medical staff, wearing full protective equipment, helps a co-worker to remove her protective suit in the triage area of the polyclinic Klinicare during a partial lockdown against the spread of Covid-19 in Brussels, March 30, 2020. (FRANCISCO SECO / AP)

GENEVA / WASHINGTON / ROME / BERLIN / LONDON / GABORONE / HARARE / TBILISI / PRAGUE / MEXICO CITY / GUAYAQUIL / PARIS / CAIRO / MAPUTO / HELSINKI / SANTIAGO / GUATEMALA CITY / MOSCOW / BUCHAREST / DAR ES SALAAM / YAOUNDE / MADRID / ZURICH / MINSK / BRUSSELS / TUNIS / DAKAR - A 12-year-old girl died in Belgium of the coronavirus, a spokesman for the health ministry said on Tuesday, and local media reported she was Europe’s youngest victim of the disease.

As of 07:00 Eastern Time (1100 GMT), there have been 800,049 confirmed cases globally, with 38,714 deaths, while more than 166,768 people have recovered from the disease

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU agency, has also recorded deaths in the age range of 10-19 years old in Spain but did not provide details.

While the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the virus has affected the elderly more, the girl’s condition deteriorated after three days of fever, Belgian officials said.

The officials did not provide details on whether or not she had any previous medical conditions at the time.

Overall, Belgium’s death toll rose by 98 to a total of 705 people on Tuesday. The country reported 876 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 12,775.

Some 4,920 people were hospitalized, meaning around a half of the medical services’ capacity was taken up by the coronavirus. Belgium expects the spread of the virus to peak in the coming days and weeks.

The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has exceeded 800,000, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

As of 07:00 Eastern Time (1100 GMT), there have been 800,049 confirmed cases globally, with 38,714 deaths, while more than 166,768 people have recovered from the disease, an interactive map maintained by the CSSE showed.

Police officers walk across an empty Red Square as it snows in Moscow, Russia, March 31, 2020. (PAVEL GOLOVKIN / AP)

Russia

Russian lawmakers approved legislation that would bring in jail sentences of up to seven years for people who flout quarantine rules as the number of coronavirus cases jumped by a record daily amount on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, backed jail terms of up to seven years and fines of up to 2 million roubles (US$25,500) for anyone flouting quarantine rules if their doing so led to people dying.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia jumped to 2,337 on Tuesday, an increase of 500, as the country recorded its biggest daily rise for the seventh day in a row

They also voted to hand the government powers to declare a national state of emergency over the coronavirus should it need to do so.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia jumped to 2,337 on Tuesday, an increase of 500, as the country recorded its biggest daily rise for the seventh day in a row. Eighteen people have died, while 121 people have recovered.

ALSO READ: WHO tells nations not to waste second chance to curb virus

More than a dozen Russian regions, including the city of St Petersburg, introduced a partial lockdown on Monday.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had told Russia's more than 80 regions to consider ordering people to stay at home.

At least 14 regions, including Kaliningrad, Tatarstan and the Arctic region of Murmansk, which shares a border with Finland and Norway, heeded the call. Others have implemented different measures.

Firefighters wearing protective suits take a rest outside a nursing home before carrying out disinfection work, in Barcelona, Spain, March 30, 2020. (FELIPE DANA / AP)

WHO expert says virus outbreak potentially stabilizing in Europe

Given the latest growth curve of new coronavirus cases amid extensive lockdown measures, European countries, particularly the most affected countries like Italy and Spain, could see potential stabilization of COVID-19 outbreak, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) expert said here Monday.

In the past 24 hours as of Monday morning, a total of 31,726 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Europe, marking the slowest growth since last Friday, according to the WHO's daily situation report.

Italy and Spain have seen the fewest new infections in 24 hours since last Wednesday, according to the report.

"We should start to see stabilization, because the cases we see today really reflect exposures two weeks ago," Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Program, said at a daily briefing.

ALSO READ: Spain's coronavirus cases surpass China's with 85,195 cases

Ryan said that the number of significant contacts per case in some European countries has dropped, which means fewer people have been exposed to one case than two weeks ago.

Fewer people in Europe are at risk for individual cases as they're distancing, said Ryan.

However, Ryan reminded physical distancing measures alone cannot push down the curve, stressing that making the curve go down after stabilization requires redoubling public health efforts.

Spain

Spain registered 849 fatalities related to the coronavirus overnight - the highest number in 24 hours since the epidemic started, although the increase in percentage terms was slightly lower than in the previous days, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The death toll rose to 8,189 on Tuesday from 7,340 on Monday, while the number of cases rose to 94,417 on Tuesday from 85,195 on Monday.

People leave a subway train at the Alexanderplatz square, a main shopping place and a main hub for public transport, during the morning rush hour in Berlin, Germany, March 30, 2020. (MARKUS SCHREIBER / AP)

Germany

German Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht told Deutschlandfunk radio Tuesday that tracking apps to help tackle the coronavirus could only be used voluntarily in Germany, where people are deeply suspicious of digital surveillance.

"It's a real infringement if I have such data so I can only agree with everyone who says that if there is such a solution that actually breaks the chains of infection, it's only possible if those who have it on their mobile phones and so use it do so voluntarily," Lambrecht said.

Germany hoped to launch a smartphone app within weeks to help trace coronavirus infections, after a broad political consensus emerged that adopting an approach pioneered by Singapore can be effective without invading people's privacy.

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany has risen to 61,913 and 583 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

Cases rose by 4,615 compared with the previous day while the death toll climbed by 128, the tally showed.

In eastern Germany, the city of Jena decided to make people wear face masks when shopping or travelling by public transport, becoming the first city in the country to take the step.

Jena, which has 119 cases of the coronavirus, decided to follow Austria, which on Monday said it was requiring shoppers to wear basic face masks in supermarkets.

Meanwhile on Monday, a German government spokesman said that Chancellor Angela Merkel will continue to lead the government from home, despite testing negative for coronavirus for a third time.

Merkel has been self-quarantining and working from home after receiving a vaccination on March 20 from a doctor who was later found to have coronavirus.

US

New York welcomed the arrival of a gleaming 1,000-bed US Navy hospital ship on Monday as a beacon of hope for the city's desperate fight against the coronavirus pandemic, while the national death toll climbed past 3,000.

The US Navy ship Comfort, a converted oil tanker painted white with giant red crosses, will treat non-coronavirus patients, including those who require surgery and critical care, the Navy said.

As of 9:30 pm Eastern Time on Monday (0130 GMT on Tuesday), the United States has registered more than 163,429 confirmed cases, with 3,008 deaths, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

The US Navy ship Comfort sails toward Pier 90 in New York, the United States, on March 30, 2020. (JIE FISCHER / NAPA / HANDOUT VIA XINHUA)President Donald Trump said more than 1 million Americans had been tested for the coronavirus, which he called a milestone. 

Trump also said he may toughen up current guidelines

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued an order directing residents to stay at home unless there was an essential reason for going out.

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom said that the number of hospitalizations in the state had nearly doubled over the past four days and the number of ICU patients tripled during that time.

Meanwhile, the US Congress' attending physician recommended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi take no particular action after she was in contact with Representative Nydia Velazquez, who has been diagnosed with coronavirus infection, Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill said.

Separately, the first US military service member has died from the coronavirus, the Pentagon said on Monday, as it reported another sharp hike in the number of infected troops.

The Pentagon said that 568 troops had tested positive for the coronavirus, up from 280 on Thursday. More than 450 Defense Department civilians, contractors and dependents have also tested positive, it said.

Guatemala

Migrants deported on Monday to Guatemala from the United States are being held in a temporary shelter at the main airport in the central American nation, authorities said, because three minors on the flight developed fever, a key symptom of the coronavirus.

Authorities said the three minors were taken to hospital for a checkup and virus test while the other 77 Guatemalans had their temperature taken and will spend the night at the airport awaiting the results.

The incident comes a day after Guatemala reported that a migrant deported on Friday, also from the United States, tested positive for the virus.

It is the second time migrants have been held in the temporary shelter of the capital's La Aurora International Airport. On March 23, health personnel reported two cases of fever in adults from the Texas city of El Paso.

Guatemala has so far reported 36 infections and one death.

Italy

The number of deaths from coronavirus in Italy could be underestimated in the official figures, the head of national health institute ISS said on Tuesday.

Silvio Brusaferro confirmed that official coronavirus data did not include deaths of people who died at home, in nursing homes and all those who may have been infected by virus but were not tested. The vast majority of tests have only happened in hospitals.

The mayor of Bergamo, the worst-hit city in the country, has said the official death tally might be four times higher given the huge numbers of people who have died in care homes.

Italy's top health official said on Monday the nationwide coronavirus lockdown in place since March 10 would be extended until "at least" April 12, nine days beyond its original deadline.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Italy has risen by 812 in the last 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Monday, reversing two days of declines.

More positively, the number of new cases rose by just 4,050, the lowest amount since March 17, reaching a total of 101,739.

However, the decline in new infections may be partly explained by a reduction in the number of tests, which were the fewest for six days.

A medical staff wearing protective suit walks toward a French medical helicopter NH90 of the 1st RHC (1st Combat Helicopter Regiment) in Strasbourg, France, on March 30, 2020. (FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP)

France

Paris health officials will begin transferring 38 critical coronavirus patients by high-speed train from the Paris to regions that have been less overwhelmed to ease pressure on the capital’s intensive care capacity, officials said on Tuesday.

France recorded its worst daily coronavirus death toll on Monday, exceeding 3,000 for the first time, and army helicopters transported critical patients from the east to hospitals overseas as the country battled to free up space in life-support units.

The number of coronavirus infection cases totaled 44,550 in France, of which 3,024 had died, General Director of Health Jerome Salomon said on Monday.

The total infection increased by 4,376 in 24 hours, while the deaths increased by 418. 

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has warned the country's 67 million people that the toughest weeks in the fight against epidemic are still to come and doctors in the capital said on Monday they were close to saturation point.

READ MORE: Five days of worship that set a virus time bomb in France

In the eastern city of Strasbourg, paramedics in hazmat suits transferred six patients onto three Caiman NH90 medicalized helicopters before they were moved to hospitals in Bern and Frankfurt.

Eighty have so far been moved from the region to Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. Transfers from Paris hospitals are expected in the coming days.

UK

The number of deaths from coronavirus in the United Kingdom rose by 27 percent in the space of a day to 1,789 as of Monday at 1600 GMT, the government said.

The number of confirmed cases rose by 14 percent to 25,150 as of Tuesday at 0800 GMT, the Department for Health and Social Care said.

From a ban on shops selling Easter eggs to flying drones to spot people defying self-isolation guidelines, police measures to control the spread of the coronavirus have upset some Britons living in a nationwide lockdown.

New regulations brought in on Thursday give police the power to issue instant 30-pound (US$37) fines to people who gather in groups of more than two people or leave their homes without good reason such as for work, food-shopping or exercise.

However, some officers have been accused of being overzealous by using drones to spy on people taking walks at beauty spots, stopping dog-walkers from driving their pets to open spaces and reports they had even urged some shops not to sell Easter eggs because they were not essential items.

Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), said they were looking to ensure consistency in the police response as everyone got to grip with the new "unprecedented measures".

Transport Minister Grant Shapps said police had a difficult job and were doing it well even if in a few cases police had gone "perhaps a bit further than they should have gone."

Separately on Tuesday, British Airways said it was temporarily suspending flights from Gatwick Airport in southern England, Britain's second busiest airport, due to the coronavirus.

Gatwick Airport said last week it would shut one of its two terminals on Wednesday.

The government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said that hospital admissions were stable at around 1,000 per day, and he did not expect the daily increase to reach significantly higher numbers.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said Monday that hundreds of thousands of Britons in countries all over the world were trying to come home, and the government would spend 75 million pounds (US$93 million) to get stranded travellers back to Britain.

Soldiers help to prepare the ExCel centre which has temporarily been transformed into the NHS Nightingale hospital, a makeshift hospital, in London, March 30, 2020. (STEFAN ROUSSEAU / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

Belarus

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday a patient who tested positive for coronavirus had died, the country's first confirmed death resulting from the virus, the Belta news agency reported. 

Belarus had 152 confirmed cases as of Monday.

Switzerland

The Swiss death toll from the coronavirus epidemic has risen to 373, the country's public health agency said on Tuesday, from 295 people on Monday.

The number of positive tests increased to 16,176 from 15,575 on Monday, it said.

Mexico

Mexico's government on Monday announced a health emergency including stricter measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus after the number of cases passed 1,000 and deaths rose substantially.

Health officials reported a total of 1,094 cases of coronavirus, up from 993 a day earlier, and 28 deaths from the virus, up from 20. 

Mexico will extend a suspension of non-essential activities to April 30, health officials said, and reduce the limit of people allowed to gather to 50.

It also said people over 60 years old and others vulnerable should strictly observe the stay-at-home recommendations.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 37-year-old man who traveled from France on March 16 and had been in isolation since, the president said on Tuesday.

“When I did my first coronavirus press conference, I said that it was not a matter of if, but when. Well, ‘when’ has come,” President Julius Maada Bio said in a speech on national television. He did not announce any new measures to tackle the pandemic.

Senegal

Senegalese Ministry of Health and Social Action reported on Tuesday morning 13 new cases of COVID-19, which brought the country's total number of cases to 175.

During the daily press conference on COVID-19, health ministry Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr said the new cases include one imported case and 12 close contacts of earlier confirmed patients.

Among the 175 confirmed cases, 74 are imported ones. Forty patients have been declared cured by local health authorities.

He also mentioned that the clinical status of the two patients with ventilator support are stable.

The country has declared a state of emergency along with a dusk-to-dawn curfew, effective from 8 pm to 6 am the next day.

Tunisia

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied on Tuesday ordered the release on 1,420 prisoners in an amnesty to combat the spread of the coronavirus in prisons, a presidency statement said.

Tunisia has declared a general lockdown to slow infection rates, and has confirmed 574 cases of the coronavirus and 10 deaths.

According to a ministry statement late Monday, the provinces of Tunis, Ariana and Ben Arous are most affected areas with 92, 50 and 33 cases respectively.

Nine deaths from the coronavirus were reported in the provinces of Ariana, Sousse, Mahdia, Sfax, El Kef, Tataouine and Bizerte, according to the statement.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe began a 21-day nationwide lockdown on Monday, following South Africa in implementing tough anti-coronavirus measures that are likely to hurt an economy already suffering from hyperinflation and food shortages.

Zimbabwe has recorded just seven coronavirus cases and one death, but President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a televised address that citizens should take the restrictions on movement seriously.

The finance ministry said it had made available 500 million Zimbabwean dollars (around US$20 million) and would unfreeze 4,000 posts in the health sector.

Zimbabwean police encourage people to practice social distancing while in a queue to enter a supermarket in Harare, Zimbabwe, March, 30, 2020. (TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI / AP)Tanzania

Tanzania confirmed its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said in a statement.

The 49-year-old Tanzanian male, who had pre-existing conditions, had been admitted to Mloganzila Hospital in Dar Es Salaam for treatment. Tanzania had 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Monday.

Cameroon

Cameroon has registered 51 new infections of the novel coronavirus, Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie said in a tweet Tuesday morning.

This is a new record of daily growth in the number of infections in Cameroon, after 40 new cases were reported on a single day last Sunday.

Cameroon is now one of the countries most affected by COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa. The country currently has 193 confirmed cases, including six deaths and "a dozen" of recoveries, according to the health minister.

South Africa

In South Africa, many of the most vulnerable people have struggled to observe the 21-day lockdown, and people in poor, overcrowded townships have continued to mingle, sometimes prompting security forces to use water cannon to break them up.

South African police said a policeman and security guard had shot a man dead during the coronavirus lockdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday defended the national lockdown, saying it was "absolutely necessary."

He said that the number of infections continues to grow in the country and that 1,326 people have tested positive for the virus, with 3 deaths, up to date.

In the coming days, the government will roll out a screening, testing, tracing and medical management program, Ramaphosa said, adding that around 10,000 field workers will visit homes around the nation to screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms.

An extensive tracing system will also be rapidly deployed to trace those who have been in contact with those infected and to monitor the geographical location of new cases in real time, said Ramaphosa.

Meanwhile, in a bid to ease the impact of the lockdown, South Africa relaxed restrictions on taxis during rush hour and made early social security payments to the elderly.

Botswana

Botswana has recorded its first three cases of coronavirus, Health Minister Lemogang Kwape said on state television on Monday.

Kwape said the three people who had tested positive for the virus were currently in quarantine and had recently travelled to Britain and Thailand.

Congo

Former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Jacques Joaquim Yhombi-Opango, died of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday in Paris at the age of 81, reported the national TV channel Tele Congo on Monday night.

According to the family, the Congolese politician died of COVID-19, but he was ill before contracting the disease, it reported.

DRC reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 98 with eight deaths and three recoveries, according to the weekly bulletin published by the health authorities here.

Among the new cases, 16 people contracted the virus locally in Kinshasa and the other one in Goma, capital city of the North Kivu province.

READ MORE: Fears grow of virus spreading like wildfire in refugee camps

Nigeria

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday night reported 20 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of infections to 131.

The NCDC said in a statement that 13 new cases were recorded in the commercial hub of Lagos, four in capital Abuja, two in northern Kaduna and one in southwest Oyo State.

Lagos has the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country with 81 cases.

The NCDC said it has expanded its testing capacity for COVID-19 and now has six Molecular Functional laboratories in the country with the capacity to test for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama has denied testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos,, the minister described the media report alleging that he has contracted the virus as fabricated and malicious.

Mozambique

The President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi on Monday declared a state of emergency for 30 days, starting from April 1, due to COVID-19.

All kinds of public and private meetings, such as religious ceremonies, cultural activities and sports, would be prohibited, and sustainable fiscal and monetary policy measures would also be adopted to support business, said the president.

The southeastern African country has reported eight cases of COVID-19 so far.

Egypt

Egypt said on Monday it has recorded 47 new COVID-19 positive cases and one more death, raising the number of confirmed cases to 656 and the death toll to 41.

Spokesman for the Egyptian health ministry Khaled Mgehaed said that 150 cases have been discharged from quarantine hospitals.

A medical staff checks the temperature of a driver in Guarulhos, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 30, 2020. (ANDRE PENNER / AP)

Brazil

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday that there can be no more quarantine measures imposed on the country than those already in place to combat coronavirus because jobs are being destroyed and the poor are suffering disproportionately.

Speaking to Rede TV, Bolsonaro criticized self-isolation and other measures imposed by local authorities to limit the spread of the virus, a view that again appeared to put him at odds with Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mendetta.

The coronavirus outbreak has now resulted in 4,579 confirmed cases and 159 deaths in Brazil.

Meanwhile, Brazil's Senate passed a bill on Monday evening guaranteeing some of the country's poorest citizens income of 600 reais (US$117) a month for three months, a package that could cost almost 50 billion reais.

Separately, a Brazilian court has barred crew members from disembarking from the Costa Fascinosa cruise ship anchored with no passengers at the port of Santos after some of their mates developed coronavirus symptoms, city authorities said on Monday.

All passengers on the ship, which has a capacity for 3,800 passengers and crew, were disembarked on March 17 at Santos and only the crew remained in quarantined.

Romania

Romania's government has placed the eastern town of Suceava and eight surrounding villages under quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus, with more than a quarter of all cases in the country located in the area, Interior Minister Marcel Vela said late on Monday.

Romania, which has recorded 2,109 coronavirus infections and 65 deaths, declared a state of emergency on March 16.

With a population of around 100,000, Suceava has 593 cases and a third of all deaths. More than half of the country's 285 infected doctors, nurses and other medical staff were in Suceava, officials said.

The quarantine will last until mid-April at the end of the 30-day emergency period. 

Cyprus

Cyprus imposed a curfew on Monday to contain the spread of the coronavirus, extending a broad lockdown introduced two weeks ago after a weekend surge in recorded cases.

From March 31, people with only some exceptions are banned from leaving their homes after 2100 local (1800 GMT) until 0600 the following morning, the health ministry said.

The measures, the most stringent imposed in peacetime, add to restrictions on leaving homes only with a permit. The new curbs would also mean people leaving home on a stated errand could do so only once a day, while fines for those violating the order would double to 300 euros (US$330.99), authorities said.

Thirty five new cases recorded on Sunday night brought Cyprus' tally to 214 cases. An additional 16 were recorded on Monday, bringing the total to 230. There have been seven recorded deaths, the health ministry said.

Denmark

Denmark may gradually lift a lockdown after Easter if the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths stay stable, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday.

The Nordic country, which has reported 77 coronavirus-related deaths, last week extended a two-week lockdown to limit physical contact between its citizens that began on March 11 until after Easter.

A reopening would likely include people attending schools and work in shifts to avoid rush hour traffic and too many people gathering at the same time, Frederiksen said.

"We do see signs that we have succeeded in delaying the transmission of corona in Denmark. The transmission is spreading slower than feared," Frederiksen said.

Norway

Norway will allow entry to certain European citizens for work in sectors critically short of labour including agriculture and the oil industry despite its lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the government said on Monday.

The measure, which takes immediate effect in the Nordic country, relaxes some of the restrictions on foreign travelers imposed to combat the transmission of the coronavirus.

Norway reported 4,226 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Monday and 26 deaths so far, with 153 people hospitalized in intensive care.

Poland

Poland should consider postponing presidential elections scheduled for May 10 if health and safety conditions can't be guaranteed, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Monday.

Poland will impose further restrictions on public life, including closing parks and hotels, to curb the spread of coronavirus and avoid the fate of Italy and Spain, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

As of Tuesday, 2,215 people had tested positive for coronavirus in the country of 38 million, while 32 people had died, the health ministry said. The Polish government is preparing for a steep rise in the number of infections.

Georgia

Georgia will impose an overnight curfew, close its public transport, including metro system, and ban gatherings of more than three people from March 31 to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said on Monday.

All citizens should carry their IDs when going out, people aged over 70 are only allowed to leave home to go to the nearest grocery or pharmacy, but residents can use taxis and private cars for moving around.

Gakharia added that special check-points would be set up in the capital Tbilisi and six other big cities across the country to screen people and enforce the rules.

The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million had reported 100 cases of coronavirus as of Monday with no deaths and 18 patients recovered. It had already declared a state of emergency for a month from March 21.

Czech Republic

The tally of coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic has exceeded 3,000, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, after recording 184 new cases the previous day.

The ministry reported a total of 3,001 cases by the end of Monday, with 23 deaths, while 25 people have recovered.

The Czech government's press office said Monday the government was extending measures to curb the outbreak by keeping most shops and restaurants closed and limiting people's movements until April 11.

The bans, which had been set to end April 1, still allow grocery stores, pharmacies, drugstores, gas stations and others to operate, and allow travel to work or to visit family.

Ukraine

Ukraine's parliament on Monday approved the appointment of a new finance minister and health minister.

Serhiy Marchenko, deputy finance minister in 2016-2018 and deputy head of the presidential office of Petro Poroshenko in 2018-2019, was appointed as the new finance minister. He replaced Ihor Umansky, who had been in office for less than a month.

Former Odessa governor Maksym Stepanov was approved as the health minister of the country which has reported nearly 500 coronavirus cases, including 11 deaths.

Finland

Finland has begun to tighten control at its northwestern border with Sweden, in a fresh attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Finnish government announced on Monday.

Finland will also extend its earlier measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak by one month until May 13 from April 13, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said.

In the past weeks, Finland has closed roads from Helsinki to the rest of the country, restricted traffic across its borders, banned public meetings of more than 10 people, closed schools for most pupils and urged people to stay at home as much as possible.

As of Monday, coronavirus cases in Finland stood at 1,313 with 13 deaths, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

Mika Salminen, a director at THL, said on Monday there were indications that the heavy restrictions on movement have begun to take effect as there has been a decline in the number of new cases.

Morocco

The Moroccan government pledged on Monday to support workers and economic sectors affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

Moroccan enterprises affected by the pandemic will also get state help, according a press release from the prime minister's office.

During a meeting in Rabat with the representatives of trade unions, Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani underlined the government's determination to continue providing online teaching courses and ensure the continuity of public services and vital productive activities, according to the press release.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Morocco reached 33 on Monday among the 534 confirmed cases, the Ministry of Health said.

People protest the closure of the offices that distribute a subsidy granted by the state during a 30-day quarantine imposed by the government due to the coronavirus pandemic in San Salvador, March 30, 2020. (MARVIN RECINOS / AFP)

El Salvador

Police in El Salvador on Monday used pepper spray to disperse crowds of people seeking government subsidies to help them survive the coronavirus pandemic, drawing criticism about the way financial aid was being distributed.

In long queues stretching across streets, thousands of people stood close to one another in the capital city of San Salvador, defying government orders to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus.

The Central American nation of seven million people has been under a nationwide 30-day lockdown since March 21 to fight the pandemic.

There have been 30 confirmed coronavirus cases in El Salvador, according to government figures.

The government has closed the offices handling the subsidies and urged people to go home and call a free hotline or official website for information.

Chile

Chile on Monday reported eight deaths from COVID-19, and a total of nearly 2,500 cases of infection.

"As of 9 p.m. yesterday, they reported 310 new people with COVID-19, adding up to 2,449 people nationwide," Deputy Public Health Minister Paula Daza said at a press conference.

A total of 156 patients have recovered from the disease, said Daza.

Ecuador

Ecuadorean authorities said on Monday they would improve the collection of corpses, as delays related to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus has left families keeping their loved ones' bodies in their homes for days in some cases.

Residents of Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, have complained they have no way to dispose of relatives' remains due to strict quarantine and curfew measures designed to prevent spread of the disease. 

Authorities also announced they would create a task force for collecting and burying the dead. Emergency humanitarian flights were suspended for Ecuadoreans who had been stranded abroad due to travel restrictions and were seeking to return to the country.

The Andean country has reported 1,966 cases of the virus and 62 deaths.