Spain’s health ministry has announced 838 new coronavirus deaths, marking the country’s highest daily jump in fatalities and bringing its total to 6,528.
Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump backed away from imposing a quarantine in the New York area,Β instead directing that a “strong travel advisory” be issued for the region to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
The US now accounts forΒ the highest number of coronavirus infections of any nation, recording more than 122,000 confirmed cases on Saturday. The death toll in the country surged past 2,000, more than double the figure two days ago.
Worldwide, the number of cases has reached more than 684,000. Some 145,000 people have recovered, while more than 32,000 have died.
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Here are the latest updates:
Sunday, March 29
15:44 GMT – Four in 10 people worldwide confined in some form
More than 3.38 billion people worldwide have been asked or ordered to follow confinement measures in the fight against COVID-19, according to an AFP news agency database.
That represents around 43 percent of the total world population, which is 7.79 billion people according to a United Nations count in 2020.
The Chinese province Hubei and its capital city Wuhan, the first epicentre of the novel coronavirus, were the first to introduce confinement measures at the end of January.
15:24 GMT – Syria reports first death from coronavirus
Syria’s Health Ministry reported its first death due to Covid-19.
A woman died soon after she was admitted to a hospital where a test confirmed she had been infected with the novel coronavirus, Β the ministry added in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Syrian government banned movement between provinces, from late Tuesday until April 16, as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus.
15:01 GMT –Β Saudi Arabia expands lockdown as coronavirus death toll doubles
Saudi Arabia halted entry and exit into Jeddah governorate, expanding lockdown rules as it reported four new deaths from a coronavirus outbreak that continues to spread in the region despite drastic measures to contain it.
The Saudi health ministry said four more foreign residents, in Jeddah and Medina, had died from the virus, taking the total to eight.
The kingdom confirmed 96 new infections to raise its tally to 1,299, the highest among Gulf Arab states.
