Commuters queue at a bus stop outside St Thomas's Hospital in London, March 24, 2020. (MATT DUNHAM / AP)

HAVANA / BUENOS AIRES / WASHINGTON / BRASILIA / DAKAR / ABIDJAN / LONDON / CAIRO / PARIS / BERLIN / JOHANNESBURG / HELSINKI / HARARE / KINSHASA / NAIROBI / TUNIS / COPENHAGEN / MADRID / ABUJA / PRAGUE / MOSCOW/OUAGADOUGOU - Britain awoke to a virtual lockdown on Tuesday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered people to stay at home, shops to close and an end to all social gatherings to halt the spread of coronavirus.

The unprecedented peacetime restrictions, which will last for at least three weeks, were brought in to prevent the state-run National Health Service from being overwhelmed as the number of deaths in Britain rose to 335.

However, social media images showed that London Underground trains were still packed with commuters and one large retail chain suggested it wanted to stay open.

Despite PM Johnson's order to stay at home, social media images showed that London Underground trains were still packed with commuters and one large retail chain suggested it wanted to stay open

There were complaints that the advice was confusing or did not go far enough. There was also confusion about who should be allowed to continue going to work and what powers police had to enforce the new guidance.

ALSO READ: UK closes pubs, restaurants, NY shuts non-essential businesses

Meanwhile, Britain's supermarkets have started limiting the number of customers in stores at any one time to enforce social distancing during the outbreak.

The curbs on movement, under which people should only leave their homes for very limited reasons such as going to supermarkets or once a day for exercise, were announced in a national address by Johnson late on Monday.

All but essential shops must close immediately and people should no longer meet family or friends. Police will break up gatherings of more than two people and social events such as weddings, although not funerals, will be stopped.

The measures were unveiled after a new emergency bill to give the British government great powers to fight coronavirus was approved by lawmakers Monday night. The bill will stay in place for two years, with a review every six months.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said Tuesday stronger measures than 30-pound (US$35) fines for people who flouted the new restrictions could be introduced.

As of Monday morning, there had been 6,650 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care. A total of 335 patients had died, the figures showed.

The USNS Mercy, a Navy hospital ship, leaves a port in San Diego on March 23, 2020. To help combat an expected shortage of hospital beds as the virus spreads, the US Naval hospital ship Mercy departed San Diego for Los Angeles to treat non-coronavirus patients. (GREGORY BULL / AP)

US

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that 174 service members had the coronavirus, an increase of 41 cases from the day before.

In a daily update, the Pentagon added that 59 civilian employees, 61 dependents, and 27 contractors had also tested positive.

The US military was preparing to deploy field hospitals to New York and Seattle, the Pentagon said on Monday.

US Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon had issued prepare-to-deploy orders to 10 expeditionary units that could set up field hospitals. 

Tens of thousands of National Guard are eventually expected to be deployed nationwide, as the military expanded its support role to the US government's domestic coronavirus response effort.

A total of 573 people have died from from COVID-19 in the country, where there are 41,511 confirmed cases, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

There are 41,511 confirmed cases and 573 deaths reported in the US so far, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University

New York City has become the new epicenter of the outbreak, as the confirmed cases reached 13,119 with 124 deaths as of Monday night local time, according to CSSE.

Several more US governors on Monday joined the procession of states ordering millions of Americans to stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, while President Donald Trump he was considering how to reopen the US economy when a 15-day shutdown ends next week

READ MORE: US declares national emergency, freeing US$50b in funds

Trump told reporters it was possible to resume economic activity in states with what he said were relatively low rates of infection, citing Nebraska, Idaho and Iowa as examples, while continuing to work on the hot zones in other states like New York.

Meanwhile, Trump has signed an executive order to prevent hoarding and price gouging of crucial medical supplies needed to fight the coronavirus.

First Lady Melania Trump has tested for the coronavirus and the result came back negative, Trump said.

The Federal Reserve on Monday rolled out an extraordinary array of programs to backstop an economy reeling from sweeping restrictions on people and businesses that scientists say are needed to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a US$2.5 trillion virus economic stimulus plan in a bid to shape negotiations on a Senate US$2-trillion stimulus measure that stalled on Monday.

Meanwhile, the US government said all court hearings for asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico will be rescheduled due to the virus outbreak.

Finland

Finland's former president Martti Ahtisaari, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the president's office said on Tuesday.

The 82-year-old, who headed Finland from 1994 to 2000, got the Nobel Peace Prize for his longstanding contribution to peace mediation.

Finland has confirmed 700 coronavirus cases and one death from the virus.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisaari, gestures as he speaks during a one-day special forum entitled "Uniting for the Future Learning from Each Other’s Experience", in Bangkok, on Sept 2, 2013. (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL / AFP)

Nigeria

The Nigerian president's chief of staff has tested positive for coronavirus, a source with direct knowledge and several diplomats said.

Authorities on Monday registered five new cases of coronavirus, taking Nigeria's total number to 36, as well as its first death, in a man of 67.

Nigeria closed its land borders on Monday to curb the spread of coronavirus as Africa's most populous country recorded its first death from the pandemic.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government, said the closure would last for four weeks.

Nigeria's two main international airports, in Lagos and Abuja, were due to close from Monday night.

Cuba

Cuba's government said on Monday it was banning Cubans from leaving the country, closing schools and suspending interregional public transport in its fight to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Cuba has so far confirmed 40 cases of the coronavirus, including a 61-year-old Italian tourist who died.

ALSO READ: UN to create global coronavirus fund, Norway says

Cubans and foreign nationals who live in Cuba will be able to return the island but will have to be isolated in camping facilities, college dormitories and other institutions designated by the state for 14 days, said Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero.

None of the 32,574 tourists still in Cuba would be allowed to leave their hotels starting on Tuesday, with all excursions banned, Marrero said.

Zambia

Zambia's cabinet has approved a contingency plan and a budget aimed at enhancing the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The contingency plan is an urgent instrument for action by all stakeholders if the country was to contain the pandemic.

The spokesperson added that the government has instituted a multisectoral, coordinated and responsive action comprising various stakeholders in order to protect the lives of citizens.

Zambia has so far recorded three COVID-19 cases.

Brazil

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was forced on Monday to walk back a decree letting companies suspend pay to workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, following barbs from congressional leaders and rising discontent over his handling of the crisis.

The tally in Brazil has tripled in four days to 1,891 confirmed cases, according to the Health Ministry. Deaths rose to 34 from 25 a day earlier.

On a call with investors and business leaders, Rodrigo Maia, speaker of the lower house of Congress, criticized parts of an emergency presidential decree, including what he called an "unthinkable" measure allowing employers to suspend employees without pay.

Hours later, Bolsonaro said on Twitter he was suspending that measure.

Meanwhile, Brazil's central bank said it planned to inject 1.2 trillion reais (US$234 billion) into the country's financial system.

Several Brazilian states have begun closing shopping malls and schools, and banning public meetings, soccer matches and religious assemblies. Sao Paulo, the country's biggest city, is slated to begin a lockdown on Tuesday.

Argentina

The Argentine government said on Monday it had reached out to Britain`s ambassador in Buenos Aires to offer material support to the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands hit by the coronavirus outbreak, almost four decades after losing control of the territory in a two-month war.

In his dialogue with Ambassador Mark Kent, Daniel Filmus, secretary of the Malvinas, said he offered to provide the island's 4,000 inhabitants with shipments of fresh food, medical supplies or tests to detect the virus causing COVID-19, as well as potential humanitarian flights and medical care in Argentina for those infected.

Argentina and Britain fought a war for control of the Falklands (Malvinas) for two months in 1982, with the loss of 255 British and 650 Argentine lives. Since then, Buenos Aires has claimed its sovereignty in international forums.

Argentina has seen 266 cases and four dead from COVID-19 so far, and President Alberto Fernandez has ordered a national quarantine from last Friday until March 31.

Poland

Poland’s government said on Tuesday it would expand restrictions on citizens to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including a limit on the number of people taking part in masses, a drastic move in a deeply devout country.

However, the presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for May 10, will go ahead as planned, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference.

Poland, a country of 38 million, has so far reported 799 infections. Nine people have died.

Germany

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has risen by 4,764 within a day to reach to 27,436, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday.

It said a total of 114 people had died, an increase of 28 from 86 published on Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's first test for COVID-19 has come back negative, a government spokesman said Monday.  

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said that an aid package worth up to 750 billion euros (US$816.38 billion) that the government announced on Monday was just an initial step in tackling the coronavirus crisis.

In addition, Germany would double the number of beds in its intensive care units, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said.

The cabinet earlier on Monday approved a raft of measures, including the stabilization fund draft law that foresees funds of up to 100 billion euros which can be used to take direct equity stakes in companies as a way to foil foreign takeovers.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the government has brought home around 120,000 citizens who had been stranded abroad because of the pandemic.

A deserted street and in background the Asinelli tower in downtown Bologna, Italy, March 23, 2020. (MASSIMO PAOLONE / LAPRESSE VIA AP)

Italy

The number of cases of coronavirus in Italy is probably 10 times higher than the official tally of almost 64,000, Angelo Borrelli, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday.

Latest figures show 6,077 people have died from the infection in barely a month, making Italy the worst-affected country in the world, with close to double the number of fatalities in China, where the virus emerged last year.

However, testing for the disease has often been limited to people seeking hospital care, meaning that thousands of cases have certainly gone undetected.

Italy believes the euro zone's bailout fund should be deployed without restrictions within the bloc to manage economic fallout from the coronavirus epidemic,its Deputy Economy Minister said on Tuesday.    

Italy has borne the brunt of the outbreak in Europe, and Antonio Misiani told Reuters that no conditions should be attached to using the ESM fund to combat it - potentially putting Rome at loggerheads with richer northern euro zone nations and some legislators in Rome.

Euro zone finance ministers are on Tuesday due to discuss proposals by the European Commission to deploy the fund, which has 410 billion euros (US$444 billion) of unused lending power, as a coronavirus cushion.

Currently, the ESM can help euro zone countries only on condition they adjust their economic policies to overcome the problems that lead them to seek financial assistance.

Both Germany and the Netherlands have said they do not favour ESM loans without such conditions.

France

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said a virtual lockdown in France imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus could last several more weeks and that his government was tightening restrictions even further.

He said citizens from Tuesday would only be able to exercise once a day, within 1 kilometer of their home, and that burial ceremonies would be restricted to 20 people. Open-air markets should close, he added.

As of Monday, France has detected 19,856 cases of coronavirus infection, and 860 people had died from COVID-19, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced at a daily update.

Biomérieux, a French healthcare company specialising in diagnostics, said on Tuesday that it had won approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its 'biofire®' product aimed at testing for coronavirus.

Spain

Spain recorded 514 deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest daily increase so far, as the country struggles to contain the outbreak despite strict rules that are keeping people from leaving their homes.

There were 2,696 deaths in total, compared to 2,182 the day before, according to the latest health ministry data. The number of confirmed cases rose to 39,673 from 33,089.

The country is already in the second week of a lockdown set to continue until April 11, with severe restrictions on mobility, police patrolling the streets and the army helping to move patients.

While the situation in Spain is not as grim as in Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, it became on Saturday the second European country to register more than 1,000 deaths from the disease.

To try and offset the economic impact, the Spanish government announced a financial stimulus package worth as much as 20 percent of its gross domestic product. It plans to provide 100 billion euros of guarantees to company loans, as well as 17 billion euros of direct aid to keep firms afloat during the lockdown.

Members of the Military Emergency Unit with special equipment to conduct disinfection arrive at Abando train station, in Bilbao, northern Spain, March 23, 2020. (ALVARO BARRIENTOS / AP)

Netherlands

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 811 on Tuesday, a 17 percent increase from a day earlier, to a total of 5,560, health authorities said.

There were 63 new deaths, the largest increase yet, bringing the country’s total to 276, the National Institute for Health said in a daily update.

The institute said it expected measures undertaken in the Netherlands this month, such as closing restaurants, and schools and a ban on public gatherings, would only begin to show up in the case numbers “at the end of this week or beginning of next week”.

Austria

Austria will start using more rapid tests to be able to test hundreds of thousands of people as quickly as possible, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday.

So far, the Alpine country with a population of 8.8 million has tested around 24,000 people with nearly 4,500 cases confirmed.

The government is still collecting data regarding the effectiveness of its measures to curb the spread of the virus and will give an update on that on Friday, Kurz said.

EU

The European Union urged its 27 members on Monday to unblock their borders and allow freight vehicles to cross from one country to another within 15 minutes to ensure the flow of basic supplies and medical equipment.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a video statement that measures introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus had also slowed and sometimes paralysed transport, causing delays and risking shortages.

READ MORE: G20 says developing action plan to deal with global pandemic

Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen on Monday announced the extension of the coronavirus lockdown for a further two weeks.

"We will now extend everything we have set in motion until April 13," Frederiksen said at a press conference.

The lockdown currently entails the furloughing of public sector employees, the closure of bars, restaurants and other related businesses, as well as a ban on public gatherings of over 10 persons.

"We can expect the epidemic to peak in four weeks. That is why it is important to stick to the restrictions," said Soren Brostrom, director of the Danish Health Board.

The announcement followed Monday's report from the State Serum Institute that the toll from the coronavirus had risen dramatically to 24 from 13 within 24 hours, while the confirmed cases hit 1,460.

Canada 

A clearly unhappy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said people defying advice to isolate themselves to fight a coronavirus outbreak should "go home and stay home" or face sanctions.

Shortly after he spoke, the premier of Ontario - the most populous of Canada's 10 provinces - announced a two-week shutdown of non-essential businesses starting late on Tuesday.

The number of people diagnosed with COVID-19 jumped to more than 2,000 from 1,430 on Sunday, and the death toll rose to 24 from 20, according to a tally of announcements from officials compiled by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Russia

Russian investigators have opened a criminal case into a senior health ministry official for suspected negligence after she failed to self-isolate following a trip to Spain and allegedly infected several people with coronavirus, authorities said on Monday.

The woman, identified as Irina Sannikova by police, was herself diagnosed with coronavirus last week, prompting authorities to quarantine 380 people at their homes and screen them for coronavirus.

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the regional health ministry said preliminary results showed 10 of those people had been infected. Other test results had yet to come in.

Russia has 438 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far and one virus-related death.

Russian authorities have said the situation with coronavirus is under control and that although the number of cases in Russia has risen in recent days, most have come from abroad.

Tthe Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport on Monday imposed restrictions on flights from Russia to all countries.

Ireland

Two more COVID-19 patients have died while another 219 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Ireland on Monday, the country's Department of Health said in a statement.

To date, there have been a total of 1,125 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six COVID-19-related deaths in the country, according to the statement.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso recorded on Tuesday 15 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 114, announced the center of operations for response to health emergencies in a report.

According to the report, the number of cured cases stood at seven.

Five ministers of the country, the education minister, territorial administration minister, foreign minister, mining minister and trade minister have tested positive for COVID-19. The US ambassador to Burkina Faso tested positive on March 22.

The government on March 20 evening announced a curfew throughout the territory from 7 pm (19:00 GMT) to 5 am, and a closure of land, air and rail borders.

South Africa

South African businesses braced for a nationwide lockdown and panic buyers stockpiled food and other essentials on Tuesday as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 554 from 402 a day earlier.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 21-day lockdown in an address to the nation on Monday, saying Africa's most advanced economy needed to escalate its response to curb the spread of the outbreak.

The 21-day lockdown would last until April 16, Ramaphosa announced in Pretoria. The country will also close its mines during that period, Ramaphosa said.

South Africa has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in sub-Saharan Africa, and public health experts are worried that the virus could overwhelm the health system if infection rates rise steeply.

READ MORE: S. Africa economy silence contrasts with drastic virus steps

The president said the South African National Defence Force will be deployed to support the South African Police Service in ensuring that the measures we are announcing are implemented.

Ramaphosa said this nationwide lockdown will be accompanied by a public health management program which will significantly increase screening, testing, contact tracing and medical management.

Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said the government had taken steps to ensure the lockdown would not affect food security.

A man wearing a mask, walks on the street in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, March 23, 2020. (THEMBA HADEBE / AP)Congo

Health Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Eteni Longondo announced on Monday evening the country's first case of recovery from COVID-19.

The DRC has already registered 36 positive cases of COVID-19. Most of the cases recorded in recent days in Kinshasa came from Europe, according to the INRB laboratory officials.

As the virus spreads across the African continent, conservationists are warning of the risk it poses to Africa's endangered mountain gorillas. On Mar 18, Congo's Virunga National Park, which is home to about a third of the world's mountain gorillas, said on its website that it is barring visitors until June 1. Advice from scientific experts indicates that primates, including the gorillas, are likely susceptible to complications arising from the coronavirus.

Ivory Coast, Senegal

Moustapha Guirassy, member of the Senegalese National Assembly confirmed on Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The presidents of Ivory Coast and Senegal, two of West Africa's largest economies, declared states of emergency on Monday, imposing curfews and travel restrictions on their populations in response to accelerating coronavirus outbreaks.

Senegal registered 12 new cases on Monday to take its total to 79, while Ivory Coast has recorded 25 cases.

Senegal's President Macky Sall ordered an 8 pm to 6 am curfew and said administrative officials would be empowered to ban public gatherings, close public spaces and limit transport between different regions.

In Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara announced a 9 pm to 5 am curfew, the closing of all restaurants and a ban on "unauthorised" travel between the seaside commercial capital of Abidjan and the interior.

He also said he had authorized "the progressive lockdown of populations by geographic area, depending on the progression of the pandemic".

READ MORE: S. Africa economy silence contrasts with drastic virus steps

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday announced further stringent measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 after the country recorded its first coronavirus-related death.

Among the measures was the closure of the country's borders to all human traffic except for returning residents and cargo.

Mnangagwa said returning residents will be subject to strict screening procedures including rigorous enforcement of the 21-day self-quarantine.

The president also imposed a blanket ban on entertainment and recreational activities, including gatherings around night clubs, bars, beer halls, movie houses, swimming pools, gymnasiums and sporting activities.

Egypt

Egypt has declared a curfew from 7 pm to 6 am for two weeks starting on Wednesday to counter the spread of coronavirus and those who violate the measure will be penalised under the country’s emergency laws, the prime minister said.

A closure of schools and universities, which were shut on March 14 for two weeks, will be extended for a further two weeks, Prime Minster Mostafa Madbouly said.

The government has also allocated one billion Egyptian pounds (US$63.69 million) to the health ministry to help it provide supplies, a statement from the cabinet office said.

Egypt has confirmed 366 cases of coronavirus, including 19 deaths.

Rwanda

Rwanda's COVID-19 cases jumped to 36 on Monday from 19 cases on Sunday, the health ministry said in a statement.

Of the 17 newly added cases, 16 were imported while the other one had contact with a previously confirmed case, according to the statement.

Algeria

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday ordered the implementation of home lockdown in the capital Algiers and its adjacent province of Blida, in a move to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

National gendarmerie and security troops were tasked with the mission of assuring the implementation and full respect of the home lockdown decision, according to a statement of the Presidency.

Meanwhile, the government announced earlier in the day that it has authorized hospitals to use the treatment protocol destined for malaria disease on patients infected with the COVID-19.

Algerian health authorities on Monday said infection cases with COVID-19 have risen to 230, in addition to 17 death cases, as no new death case has been reported in the last 24 hours.

People queue for public transport in Harare, Zimbabwe, March, 23, 2020. (TSVANGIRAYI MUKWAZHI / AP)

Cyprus

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades announced on Monday night a total ban on unnecessary movement in the country in a further move to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a televised address to the nation, Anastasiades said the ban comes into effect as from 6 pm on Tuesday until April 13, with violators of the decree being liable to an on-the-spot fine of 150 euros (US$161).

The president said a decree will be issued by the Health Ministry stating that parks, children's playgrounds, sports fields, squares, excursion areas, the seaside in general, open markets, open workplaces, churches and mosques will be out of bounds and events related to the upcoming religious Easter Holidays will be totally banned.

Cyprus authorities announced on Monday 21 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country's total to 116. 

Switzerland

Switzerland reported 1,046 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, raising the total cases in the country to 8,060, while the death toll increased from 60 to 66, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health said.

Chile

Chile's health ministry on Monday confirmed the second death from COVID-19 in the country.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the country's total number of COVID-19 cases has reached 746, with 459 in the metropolitan area.

Kenya

Kenya's Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed one more case of the coronavirus, bringing the country's tally to 16.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for health, said all the cases that had tested positive to COVID-19 are in stable condition and are responding well to treatment at designated isolation centers in Nairobi.

Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied has ordered army deployment on the streets to ensure lockdown and curfew from 6 pm to 6 am were in place, according to a Tunisian presidency statement on Monday.

On Sunday, Saied had issued an order concerning new restrictions on citizen gatherings throughout the country during non-curfew hours.

The Tunisian health ministry has reported 14 new COVID-19 infections in the country.

Sudan

Sudan's government on Monday declared a partial curfew in all cities of the country to prevent coronavirus spread.

"A curfew has been decided in all cities of Sudan from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. effective as of Tuesday, March 24," reads a statement by Sudan's Higher Committee for Health Emergencies.

Earlier, the Sudanese health authorities announced two confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.

Morocco

Nine new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 were reported in Morocco on Monday, bringing the total number to 143, the Ministry of Health said.   

According to the ministry, four deaths due to the COVID-19 were reported while five patients have recovered.

Health care workers wait for the arrival of an ambulance at Bernhoven hospital in Uden, southern Netherlands, March 23, 2020. (PETER DEJONG / AP)

Czech Republic

The Czech government has extended an order closing most shops and restaurants and limiting people's movement until April 1, continuing measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, Interior Minister Jan Hamacek said on Monday.

The order was due to expire on Tuesday morning.

Ren Qi in Moscow and Otiato Opali in Nairobi contributed to this report.