TOP HEADLINES

- Italy is closing all non-essential shops including bars and restaurants until 25 March. Only pharmacies and food stores will remain open.

- The U.S. suspends flights from 26 European countries that are members of the Schengen border-free area for 30 days

- Greece confirms its first death from COVID-19, a 66-year-old patient

- After a minister tested positive to the virus, the Spanish government has announced it will take its meetings by video link

- Austria reports its first death from the outbreak, a 69-year-old 

- Ireland closes all schools and universities in the country

- Czechia will close its borders to travelers coming from Germany and Austria

- Malta is closing all schools and universities in the country and banning all mass gatherings

- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen postponed a trip to Greece over coronavirus concerns

- European Council President Charles Michel will assess the U.S. travel ban to avoid 'economic disruption' in Europe

- Slovenia and Austria close their borders to arrivals from Italy, while Switzerland will implement only partial border closures

- Kazakhstan cancels the 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference scheduled for June in the country

- Denmark closes schools, bans indoor events of more than 100 people and asks all non-critical public sector workers to work from home

- China is sending doctors and medical equipment to Italy to help the country's healthcare system on the brink of collapse

- Colombia cancels all events of more than 500 people to contain the spread of the virus

- India will forbid entrance to the country to foreign tourists for a month starting tomorrow

- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is self-isolating after his wife showed symptoms of COVID-19 infection

- Actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the virus

- The NBA season has been suspended until further notice after a player in the U.S. basketball league contracted the virus

ACROSS EUROPE

By Ross Cullen in Rome

Over the past week, Italy has closed all schools in the country and ordered a nationwide quarantine, now in its third day. Yesterday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the further measure of closing all non-essential services (including bars, restaurants and hairdressers) will be implemented until 25 March in a bid to stop the further spreading of the virus.

Only pharmacies, food stores, post offices and banks will remain open and public transport will keep running.

This extreme measure will hopefully stop the increasing number of fatalities in Italy, which has reached a total of 827 deaths – meaning nearly 200 people died in the past 24 hours. At the moment, there are more than 1,000 patients in intensive care in Italian hospitals but another 1,000 have recovered.

By Toni Waterman in Brussels

Belgium is asking citizens to cancel all non-essential travel to Madrid and the Basque Country as the number of COVID-19 cases jumped in both regions. The country has also banned any indoor public event or gathering of more than 1,000 people, visits to people in nursing homes and school trips abroad. As of now, officials have ruled out shutting down public transportation.

Meanwhile, the Brussels Stock Exchange continues its freefall. 

For what concerns the EU, Brussels has fired back at the U.S. travel ban targeting Europeans. In a joint statement, the EU Commission and Council presidents said: "The European Union disapproves of the fact that the U.S. decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation." Some have questioned whether the wording was strong enough, given President Donald Trump's accusation that Europe was to blame his country's coronavirus woes. 

By Stefan de Vries in Paris

Around 3,600 companies have already applied for government aid in France. The 60,000 workers who are currently "not-active" will receive 70 percent of their last gross income as a partial unemployment benefit from the state. France's labor minister said there is no budgetary limit to save jobs.

Today, schools in Montpellier and on the island of Corsica were closed in addition to schools in the Oise and Haut Rhin regions.

In Disneyland Paris, one of Europe's busiest tourist destinations, three employees tested positive for the virus. Although the theme park will stay open, all outdoor parades were canceled.

Municipal elections taking place this Sunday will go ahead as planned, but voters were advised to bring their own pencil to fill out the ballot.

President Emmanuel Macron will be making a televised announcement to the nation on the subject of coronavirus tonight at 20:00 (CET).

By Andrew Wilson in London

The UK is ready to move from the so-called "containment phase" to what the government defines as the "delay phase." This is to be confirmed at a Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (Cobra) emergency meeting for cabinet ministers and relevant advisers today.

The "delay phase" will likely contain emergency legislation around large gatherings such as football matches and concerts and a modification to advice for members of the public concerned they might be infected.

Until now, the medical advice has drawn a line between those who have traveled or met someone with a confirmed infection and those concerned because of symptoms but with no history of international contact.

When the international element is removed, all people with health concerns or symptoms will be told to self-isolate.

The new measures will cause a substantial reduction in movement of all people around the UK, a restriction that is likely to severely impact the economy and functioning of businesses.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland has already announced the closure of all schools, colleges and other public facilities in the country until 29 March, and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has indicated she wants to do the same.

By Guy Henderson in Geneva 

The Swiss canton of Tocini declared a state of emergency and announced the closing of schools, gyms, cinemas, nightclubs and ski areas. Tocini's border with Northern Italy remains partially open, so those who need to cross the border will be allowed to do so provided they can show proof of a work permit.

Thousands of Italians usually commute between Northern Italy and Tocini every day, including healthcare workers. Swiss officials say a complete closure would seriously affect the local economy as well as public services including healthcare.

Geneva – home to the World Health Organization and a several other UN agencies – is putting a stop to events gathering more than 100 people. Cinemas remain open but only every second seat can be occupied.

By Ira Spitzer in Frankfurt

Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party has postponed the party conference to choose Merkel's successor, initially scheduled for next month, to an unspecified date in the future in order to avoid the further spread of the contagion.

One member of Germany's parliament has already been diagnosed with COVID-19, and two players of the football team Hannover 96 tested positive for the virus, with the consequence that the entire team was quarantined for two weeks.

The country's IFO institute reported today that 56 percent of German companies are already financially suffering from the outbreak, which hit the country's travel and hospitality industries especially hard.

The European Central Bank has announced today the measures it will take to support the Eurozone economy in this time of emergency: while interest rates were left unchanged, the ECB has announced the expansion of its bond-buying program and eased some borrowing conditions for banks.

MARKETS AND BUSINESS

- Global stocks plummeted after the U.S. banned travel from Europea 

- European stock markets fell to their lowest levels in almost four years and suffered their biggest one-day loss 

- Oil prices fell by 7 percent after Trump announced the travel restrictions

- The European Central Bank will announce today its stimulus package to support the eurozone economy amid the coronavirus outbreak 

- Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, has asked banks to allow delay payments of loan instalments for several months because of the COVID-19 outbreak

- Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia, has lost 4.8 percent of its value since March due the COVID-19 outbreak. The currency has slipped to 26 vs the U.S. dollar for the first time since July 2019

- Lloyd’s of London will shut its underwriting floors on Friday for the first time in the insurance market's 330-year history in a one-day trial.

FROM OUR GLOBAL COLLEAGUES

From CGTN in China: China has passed peak of coronavirus epidemic: health commission

From CGTN America: U.S. House leaders unveil COVID-19 bill, including a paid 14-day leave

CGTN Europe has been providing in-depth coverage of the novel coronavirus story as it has unfolded. Here you can read the essential information about the crisis.