A tourist wearing face mask is seen near the Vittoriano in central Rome, March 1, 2020. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP)

NEW YORK/ALGIERS/CAIRO/GUAYAQUIL/WASHINGTON/PARIS/MEXICO CITY/SANTO DOMINGO/PRAGUE/HOUSTON/AMSTERDAM/BERLIN/MILAN/LISBON — Portugal registered its first two cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, both in people who had recently returned from abroad, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference.

Both men were taken to hospital in Porto and were in a stable condition and in good general health, Temido said

Both men were taken to hospital in Porto and were in a stable condition and in good general health, Temido said.

She said one case was discovered in a 60-year-old man who had recently traveled to Italy, the site of Europe’s worst outbreak, and another one in a man aged 33, who had returned from Valencia in Spain.

The minister said Portugal would expand tracing of passengers and their contacts to include flights arriving from Italy, in addition to those arriving from China that have been monitored for some time.

In another possible case, a Chinese tourist had to be taken off a train during the night after complaining of fever, cough and throat pain, and officials said passengers on the train would be traced and monitored.

Confirmed cases in Germany rise to 150

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen to 150 on Monday from 129 on Sunday, the Robert Koch Institute for disease control said, adding that the risk from the virus in Germany is now “moderate”.

More than half of the cases, 86, are in the western region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, where several schools and day care centers will be closed on Monday to try to prevent the spread of the virus after staff members tested positive.

Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said that of the 150 cases in Germany, the authorities had traced the origin of 140.

Vodafone confirmed that one of its German employees was infected with the virus.

“We can confirm that several of our employees in the UK have been in contact with a person visiting the office, who has tested positive for the coronavirus,” a Vodafone spokesperson added.

“As a precautionary measure, we have identified those employees and asked that they work from home.”

Italy sees 50% rise in new cases

All members of the local government of Italy's Lombardy region, the area worst hit by the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, will undergo tests after a councillor tested positive for the illness, according to a statement on Monday.

Lombardy's regional governor Attilio Fontana, among the officials seen most often briefing the public on the crisis, has quarantined himself after the councillor for economic development in the area tested positive.

Italy’s confirmed coronavirus infections jumped to 1,694 from 1,128 a day earlier, the nation’s emergency chief Angelo Borrelli said on Sunday, a 50 percent surge in new cases.

There were 34 possible virus-linked deaths, the Italian Civil Protection official said Sunday at a Rome news conference, an increase of five from the previous day.

Amazon.com Inc said late on Sunday that two employees in Milan have contracted the coronavirus and are under quarantine.

Around 90 percent of all cases are concentrated in the wealthy northern regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna. The government has ordered that schools and universities must remain closed there for a second week, with large public gatherings still banned in an effort to halt the contagion.

Italy reported on Sunday 1,694 confirmed coronavirus infections and 34 possible virus-linked deaths

Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri announced the cabinet would approve this week 3.6 billion euros (US$3.5 billion) of measures to help companies. 

This came on top of an aid-package worth 900 million euros that was unveiled on Friday for the worst-impacted zones.

ALSO READ: US has 4 mystery infections, France bans large gatherings

Leaders in Europe and the Americas have rolled out bans on big gatherings and stricter travel restrictions as cases of the new coronavirus spread around the world.

Although most Americans face a low risk from the virus, more US deaths could be imminent following the nation’s first, CNN quoted Vice-President Mike Pence as saying.

Travelers from Italy and South Korea would face additional screening, US President Donald Trump and top officials said at a White House news briefing, warning Americans against traveling to coronavirus-affected regions in both countries.

The United States may also restrict travel on its southern border with Mexico, officials said. American Airlines Inc said late on Saturday it was suspending all US flights to Milan.

US officials talk down coronavirus market panic

Senior officials in the Trump administration on Sunday tried to calm market panic that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the US public had over-reacted and that stocks would rebound due to the American economy’s underlying strength.

The S&P 500 index tumbled 11.5 percent last week, the worst weekly drop since the 2008 global financial crisis. Roughly US$4 trillion has been wiped off the value of US stocks.

Speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Pence, who is leading the administration’s response to the virus, said that the market “will come back,” and that the "fundamentals of this economy are strong".

“Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We’re ready,” Pence said.

New York state, Florida see first cases

New York state has confirmed its first coronavirus test, Goveror Andrew Cuomo said on Twitter Sunday evening, calling on residents to remain calm and not have any "undue anxiety."

Cuomo said the patient is a woman in her 30s who contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran. He said the woman is in quarantine in her home.

Health officials in Washington state said on Sunday a second person infected with the coronavirus had died there, while New York's governor said his state confirmed its first case of the disease

Meanwhile, Florida on late Sunday declared a public health emergency as it confirmed its first two cases.

2nd death in Washington state

Health officials in Washington state said late Sunday that a nursing home resident had died after contracting the coronavirus.

The Seattle and King County public health department confirmed late Sunday that a man in his 70s who was a resident of the LifeCare long-term care facility in Kirkland and had coronavirus had died the day before.

On Saturday, the department had reported the first death of a coronavirus patient in the United States, a man in his 50s who was living in Kirkland - the same city where the nursing home is located. Six of the 10 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington state have been residents or workers at LifeCare.

State officials said an additional 27 residents of the nursing home and 25 staff members were reporting symptoms of the virus, which can be similar to that of the common flu.

US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said it remained unclear how the first deceased victim had contracted the disease, and that there was no evidence he had a connection to someone who had traveled to an outbreak area.

READ MORE: US mulls using sweeping powers to ramp up virus gear production

This Feb 29, 2020 photo shows the entrance of the Life Care Center of Kirkland in Washington state, the United States. (DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES VIA AP)

US discharged patient brought back into isolation

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Sunday that they have brought back a COVID-19 patient who had been released from isolation.

The CDC said that at the time of her discharge on Saturday from a healthcare facility in San Antonio, a city in southern Texas, the patient had no symptoms and met all criteria for release, including two negative test results.

However, after her release, the results of a subsequent sample with weakly positive reading were received, prompting the CDC to decide to bring the individual back into isolation out of caution.

Meanwhile, the HHS confirmed on Sunday that it was investigating a manufacturing defect in some initial coronavirus test kits that prompted some states to seek emergency approval to use their own test kits.

French minister: G7 to take 'concerted action'

G7 countries will take “concerted action” to limit the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on economic growth and their finance ministers will discuss by phone this week how best to act, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday.

“There will be a concerted action. Yesterday I spoke with the G7 president, the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and this week we will have a meeting by phone of the finance G7 ministers to coordinate our responses,” Le Maire told France 2 television.

He also said that euro zone finance ministers would also be in touch with each other and that he would speak with ECB chief Christine Lagarde.

Algeria confirms 2 more cases

Algeria has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus infections, a woman and her daughter aged 53 and 24 years respectively, the health ministry said on Monday.

The cases brought to three the number of people infected with the virus in the North African country.

The two people were put in isolation in Blida province south of the capital Algiers, the ministry said in a statement.

The woman and her daughter in February hosted an 83-year-old man and his daughter based in France who were tested positive for coronavirus after their return to France, according to the statement.

Algeria reported two more cases in the country, while Egypt's health ministry said one foreigner has tested postive for the coronavirus

Algeria last week announced its first case, involving an Italian national who arrived in the country on Feb 17. He was later flown home to Italy, which has almost 1,700 cases.

READ MORE: WHO says risk of coronavirus 'very high' at global level

2nd case confirmed in Egypt

Egypt's health ministry announced on Sunday that one foreigner tested positive for the new coronavirus inside Egypt, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The ministry said that the person, whose nationality was not announced, was taken to an isolation hospital and is currently receiving the necessary medical care. It also added that it is currently taking strict preventive measures regarding those who were in contact with the person.

It is the second case of new coronavirus detected in Egypt. The first person has recovered, according to the statement.

Egypt’s health minister on Sunday said that 1,443 people had been tested so far for the new coronavirus, only one of whom tested positive and was cleared after being given appropriate medical care.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale, north London, March 1, 2020. (HENRY NICHOLLS / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

UK’s Johnson says virus likely to become ‘more significant’ 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the coronavirus is a problem “likely to become more significant for the country” in the next days and weeks. Johnson spoke after chairing an emergency meeting of top officials Monday. An action plan to fight the virus wil be published on Tuesday.

Johnson spokesman James Slack warned that members of the public face changes to their daily lives, though he urged people not to stockpile food. The government is in talks with the Bank of England over the impact of the virus, but its budget will go ahead as planned on March 11.

The government stands ready to use “all levers” at its disposal to make sure Britain is prepared, Slack said.

UK announced a jump in coronavirus cases on Sunday, with 13 new infections taking the total to 36, and Johnson said he expected the number to rise further.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that as of 0900 GMT there had been 12 new positive tests, bringing the total to 35. The Scottish government later announced another positive test.

Of those new positive tests, three had been in close contact with an existing known case, seven had recently travelled from Italy and two from Iran. They were investigating one case with no relevant travel, to find out how the patient had caught the virus.

Dominican Republic, Czech Republic, Belgium

Health authorities in the Dominican Republic said on Sunday that they had confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, a tourist visiting from Italy.

The patient, a 62-year-old man, was transferred on Sunday to an isolation room in a military hospital near the capital and is in stable condition, Health Minister Rafael Sanchez said at a press conference. Another tourist, a 56-year-old man from France, is under observation in the hospital and awaiting test results for the virus.

Separately, the Czech Republic confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus, with all the patients having travelled from northern Italy, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Sunday.

Health authorities in the Dominican Republic said they had confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, a tourist visiting from Italy, while the Czech Republic became the first central European country to be hit as it confirmed its first three cases

Health officials said the patients - two Czechs and an American student who studied in Milan - showed mild symptoms. Two were in Prague and the third in the city of Usti nad Labem, 90 km north of the capital.

Meanwhile in Belgium, the capital Brussels reported the country's first infection - a person who had traveled from a coronavirus risk area and will stay in quarantine -- the Belga news agency said, citing official sources. Two others in the country have also tested positive for the illness, as have patients in Spain and Luxembourg who recently traveled to Belgium.

Iceland confirms first three cases of coronavirus

The first three cases of people infected with coronavirus have been confirmed in Iceland, the country’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement late on Sunday.

The first patient was diagnosed on Friday while two other patients were confirmed during the weekend. All three patients had spent time on holiday in northern Italy, authorities said.

Louvre museum closed, 130 cases in France

The Louvre museum in Paris shut its doors to the public early on Monday as management and workers held a meeting over the risks associated with the coronavirus.

The museum closed on Sunday after management failed to reassure staff that the risk of contagion from the coronavirus was contained, prompting a walkout.

France has 130 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Sunday, raising the count from 100 a day earlier.

French President Emmanuel Macron canceled two scheduled events this week to focus on France’s response to the coronavirus crisis, his office said on Monday.

Tourists wait in line outside the Louvre museum in Paris, France, March 1, 2020. (RAFAEL YAGHOBZADEH / AP)

Russian citizen who returned from Italy diagnosed with coronavirus

A Russian citizen returning from Italy was diagnosed with coronavirus, the RIA news agency cited the healthcare ministry as saying on Monday.

Another three Russian nationals are receiving treatment in Russia after they contracted the virus on a cruise ship in Japan, authorities have said.

5 new cases in Ecuador

Ecuador has confirmed five cases of the new coronavirus in patients who all had direct contact with an elderly woman who brought the virus to the Andean country from Spain, Health Minister Catalina Andramuño said on Sunday.

The announcement brought the total number of confirmed cases in the country to six. The five new cases are all relatives of the woman who had direct contact with her since she arrived, Andramuño said, adding that they were all quarantined at their homes.

Authorities are also monitoring some 177 people who could have come into contact with the initial patient, including passengers on her flight, other relatives, and health care workers.

Mexico confirms 5th case

A young woman tested positive for coronavirus in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, state health authorities said on Sunday, marking the country's fifth case.

Like another woman who tested positive for the virus in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila, the woman in Chiapas was studying in Milan, Italy. The woman tested positive for the virus on Saturday but is asymptomatic, state health authorities said in a press conference.

Some Tenerife hotel guests head to airport

Tourists staying at a Tenerife hotel that has been on lockdown after five cases of the coronavirus were detected there are free to leave if they test negative for the virus, regional health authorities said on Sunday.

Reuters TV footage showed a group of British tourists getting off a coach that had taken them from the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel to the airport on Sunday evening wearing masks.

Nike temporarily closes European headquarters

Nike’s European headquarters in the Netherlands will be closed on Monday and Tuesday after an employee was infected with the coronavirus.

With Bloomberg, Xinhua inputs