Logo

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House extended its European travel ban to the United Kingdom and Ireland on Saturday after the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK doubled overnight.

The two countries were originally exempt from the ban, which was announced by President Trump on Wednesday and applies only to non-US citizens in certain EU nations.

But concerns about spread of the deadly illness prompted the tightened restrictions on Saturday, as the number of confirmed British cases soared to 1,143 and deaths in the country hit 24.

There are a total of 90 confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland, with one death.

Worldwide, confirmed coronavirus diagnoses topped 155,000, prompting a wave of new precautionary measures.

The US wasn’t alone in trying to seal its borders to keep infected people at bay.

Denmark, which has 827 cases, and Poland, which has seen 84 cases and two deaths, announced border closures.

And Russia, with a surprisingly low 47 cases reported and no deaths, said its borders with Norway and Poland would be shuttered to most foreigners beginning Sunday.

In Spain, the number of confirmed cases surged to more than 6,000, with half in the capital, Madrid, giving that country the dubious distinction of Europe’s latest hot spot.

The Spanish government instituted a lockdown. As of Monday morning, residents will be allowed to leave their homes only to buy food and medicine, go to work, hospitals and banks or take trips related to the care of the young and the elderly.

The nation also ordered all schools, universities, restaurants, bars and hotels closed nationwide, along with nonessential stores.

Similar rules were announced in France, where restaurants, theaters and tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum, were ordered closed to slow the spread there.

The country’s confirmed cases ratcheted up to 3,672 Saturday. Gatherings of more than 100 people were banned, and schools were closed.

The Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel and other European countries are also imposing mandatory closings of stores and other locations.

In Greece, where 230 people are infected, police arrested 45 shopkeepers Saturday for violating a ban on operations.

In Italy, the number of deaths continued its grim climb, topping 1,400, while the number of infections surpassed 21,000, a 20 percent leap overnight because of what authorities characterized as irresponsible behavior by people socializing despite the national lockdown.

With the country’s health-care system straining to keep up, playgrounds and parks in Rome, Milan and other cities were shuttered in a effort to keep people home.

On Saturday, Italian unions and industrial leaders reached an agreement to keep factories running in the hopes of propping up at least part of the country’s faltering economy.

But luxury sports-car maker Ferrari said it was suspending production at two plants, citing concern for its employees and disruptions in the supply chain.

At noon, people around Italy came out on their balconies, terraces or gardens or leaned out their windows to clap for several minutes in a gesture of thanks to medical workers.

There was little to cheer for in Iran, where the death toll from COVID-19 shot up to 611 and confirmed cases reached 12,729, the most outside of China.

Several senior Iranian government officials were among the dead. Recent reports suggested the death toll was higher, judging from the number of new graves at a major cemetery seen in satellite photos.

The first case in Rwanda was reported on Saturday, along with the first in Venezuela, a country already suffering from severe economic and political crises.

Even before the coronavirus, hospitals and clinics in the South American nation had few supplies, lacking even basics like soap, leading to fears the virus could cause the health-care system to collapse.

Neighboring Colombia, which took in thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the turmoil over the past year, closed its border with the country in response to the pandemic.

More drastic measures were taken in the Philippines, where the police and military began sealing off a densely populated section of the capital, Manila, from most travelers.

Authorities also announced a curfew in the metropolitan area of 12 million people.

The draconian measures are more similar to the lockdowns imposed in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started and where new cases are in decline.

In fact, more new cases in mainland China are coming from overseas than from domestic origins, the National Health Commission said.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy